conflict of interest

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of conflict of interest¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Paxton in 2015 put his assets into a blind trust, a tool used by politicians to avoid conflicts of interest by separating them from management of their money.

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Collier’s investment in Unrivaled has been portrayed at times as a conflict of interest—and yes, bashing one league while you’re building another presents some interesting optics, to say the least.

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Yet, employers can generally intervene in personal relationships when there is a clear, justified reason to do so, such as managing a conflict of interest or rooting out harassment, legal specialists said.

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Audit firms also can drop clients, particularly if they have become overly risky or serving them presents a conflict of interest.

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Anthony Solis sits with Ortega on a panel that approves private attorneys to stand in for the public defender’s office when it has a conflict of interest.

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