conflict of interest
Americannoun
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the circumstance of a public officeholder, business executive, or the like, whose personal interests might benefit from their official actions or influence.
The senator placed his stocks in trust to avoid possible conflict of interest.
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the circumstance of a person who finds that one of their own activities, interests, etc., can be advanced only at the expense of another of them.
Etymology
Origin of conflict of interest
First recorded in 1950–55
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.
Nixon wasn’t the only Republican dogged by conflict of interest accusations in the 1950s.
From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026
County officials want the state attorney general to wade into the complex investigation to avoid any perceived conflict of interest.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
A defence filed by the Home Office said the claim was "baseless" and without merit, with no conflict of interest.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
Judge Singh ruled this is a clear conflict of interest.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
“We have no conflict of interest; it’s important to me that the Voigt-Kampff test functions, almost as important as it is to you.”
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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.
