duopoly

American

[doo-op-uh-lee, dyoo-] / duˈɒp ə li, dyu- /

noun

plural

duopolies

the market condition that exists when there are only two sellers.

duopoly British

/ ˌdjʊɒpəˈlɪstɪk, djʊˈɒpəlɪ /

noun

a situation in which control of a commodity or service in a particular market is vested in just two producers or suppliers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

duopolistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of duopoly

First recorded in 1915–20; duo- + (mono)poly

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.

It comes seven months after the regulator said Apple and Google had an "effective duopoly" in the UK over their dominance in the sector.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

According to Pew Research, nearly 40% of U.S. adults identify as independents or with parties outside of the Republican and Democratic duopoly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

And we have a duopoly of networks: Visa and Mastercard, who process more than 80% of those transactions.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

There’s now a duopoly where Visa and Mastercard control most of the market, according to the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas, and Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 15, 2026

Sportsbooks FanDuel and DraftKings have seen prediction markets lay siege to their sports-betting duopoly.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023