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conflict of interest
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noun
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.
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.
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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of conflict of interest
First recorded in 1950–55
Words nearby conflict of interest
conflation, conflict, conflicted, conflicting, confliction, conflict of interest, conflict of laws, confluence, confluent, confocal, confocal microscope
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Cultural definitions for conflict of interest
conflict of interest
A situation in which someone who has to make a decision in an official capacity stands to profit personally from the decision. For example, a judge who rules on a case involving a corporation in which he or she owns stock has a conflict of interest.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.