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.
"We recognise there was a conflict of interest that wasn't managed properly," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
It has previously denied any conflict of interest, saying the business dealings are kept separate from administration policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Most residents aren’t engaged enough to come to board meetings, which typically draw about 10 attendees, let alone be galvanized by allegations of a conflict of interest, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Catalent had already slashed its guidance, the FDA had raised concerns about contamination in some of its plants, and Lilly is a customer, creating a potential conflict of interest.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Fitzsimmons would certainly have avoided this conflict of interest.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
