Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for captive market. Search instead for active market.

captive market

British  

noun

  1. a group of consumers who are obliged through lack of choice to buy a particular product, thus giving the supplier a monopoly

"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

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.

See Examples For:

They have a captive market and they don't want to share it.

From BBC May 5, 2022

But its status as the country’s largest residential mortgage servicer gives it ample opportunity to exploit this captive market.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 19, 2021

It almost feels too on-the-nose that his racket takes place in the ultimate captive market – medicine.

From The Guardian Sep. 5, 2019

But the ultimate captive market is the U.S. criminal justice system, where consumers are captive in both an economic and a physical sense.

From Slate Jul. 19, 2018

The company, Consupago, offers loans that are among the most expensive in Mexico to a captive market of government employees.

From New York Times Mar. 27, 2018

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training