cartel
Americannoun
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an international syndicate, combine, or trust formed especially to regulate prices and output in some field of business.
- Synonyms:
- combination, merger, monopoly
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a coalition of political or special-interest groups having a common cause, as to encourage the passage of a certain law.
-
a written agreement between belligerents, especially for the exchange of prisoners.
-
a written challenge to a duel.
noun
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Also called: trust. a collusive international association of independent enterprises formed to monopolize production and distribution of a product or service, control prices, etc
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politics an alliance of parties or interests to further common aims
Discover More
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a cartel.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of cartel
1550–60; < Middle French < Italian cartello letter of defiance, poster, equivalent to cart ( a ) carte + -ello diminutive suffix
Explanation
When groups band together to control the supply of a product for their best interests, that’s called a cartel. If you and the other kids running lemonade stands form a cartel, you can force up the price of lemonade. The word cartel originally referred to political parties that joined forces to promote a common cause. Over the years, cartel took on a decidedly negative connotation, and now it’s more likely to describe organizations that join together to limit supply of a product to force prices to remain high. You might read about an international drug cartel or a cartel of natural gas producers. To correctly pronounce the word cartel, put the accent on the second syllable: “car TEL.”
Vocabulary lists containing cartel
Mexico - High School
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South America - High School
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This Week In Words: March 21–27, 2020
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of six Mexican narcotrafficking groups designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
There have long been allegations against Rocha, who is governor of a state where the powerful Sinaloa Cartel is based.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
"One was the Jalisco Cartel, magnifying the chaos," he explained to AFP.
From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026
Two other alleged members of the Cartel of the Suns are already in American prisons, and could testify against Maduro.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026
The first real event was the day Cartel came to rehearsal.
From The Cricket by Williams, J. Scott (John Scott)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
