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.
The Victoria’s Secret board twice previously rejected Blundy’s board candidacy, concluding that his appointment would introduce “serious reputational, legal, conflict of interest and governance risks.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
This so-called revenue-sharing arrangement creates a conflict of interest.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
Nixon wasn’t the only Republican dogged by conflict of interest accusations in the 1950s.
From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026
A defence filed by the Home Office said the claim was "baseless" and without merit, with no conflict of interest.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
There they erected new walls around themselves, to create at least the illusion that Morgan Stanley had no conflict of interest.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions 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.
