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.
“Director Matson now blames me for his ostrich troubles and his conflict of interest troubles,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Marketing home listings privately, even if only temporarily, could also set up a conflict of interest, Miller said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Trustee sued Jackson Walker to seek the return of about $23 million in fees, alleging it failed to disclose the conflict of interest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
They insist, though, there’s no conflict of interest and no one in the department has even considered favoritism.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
“We have no conflict of interest; it’s important to me that the Voigt-Kampff test functions, almost as important as it is to you.”
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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.
