Word
monopoly
Phoneticsmo·nop·oly
US/məˈnɑpəɫi/
UK/mənˈɒpəli/
Definitions
01market control
n. when one company or group is the only one selling a product or service, so they have no competition.
n. exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service. Often used with the preposition 'on'.
“The government is trying to break up the company's monopoly on high-speed internet.”
“Economists argue that a natural monopoly can emerge when the high costs of infrastructure prevent any meaningful competition from entering the market.”
Usage
Often used with the preposition 'on' or 'of'.
Antonyms
02exclusive possession
n. complete control over something, like a conversation or someone's time, so that others cannot join in.
n. the exclusive possession or control of something that is not a commercial commodity, such as attention or a specific skill.
“He had a monopoly on the conversation and didn't let anyone else speak.”
“No single political party can claim a monopoly on wisdom or patriotism during a national crisis.”
Formal
Teaching tip
This is a figurative use of the economic term. It is common in formal debates or academic writing.
Synonyms
Antonyms
03the board game
n. a popular board game where players buy streets and build houses to win money from others.
n. a proprietary board game in which players move around the board buying and developing properties.
“We spent the whole rainy afternoon playing Monopoly in the living room.”
“The game of Monopoly was originally designed to demonstrate the negative aspects of concentrating land in private hands.”
Usage
Usually capitalized as it is a brand name.
Real-World Examples
“Eurostar, which was formerly part-owned by the UK taxpayer but is now controlled by the French rail operator SNCF, has held a monopoly on passenger services through the tunnel since it opened in 1994.” “The ORR said , external it was "a significant step forward" in introducing competition on the route, where Eurostar has held a monopoly on passenger services since the tunnel opened in 1994.” Etymology
See monopoly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Idioms
Monopoly money — Money that does not exist; referring to fraudulent record keeping.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/monopoly