duopoly

American

[doo-op-uh-lee, dyoo-] / duˈɒp ə li, dyu- /

noun

plural

duopolies

the market condition that exists when there are only two sellers.

duopoly British

/ ˌdjʊɒpəˈlɪstɪk, djʊˈɒpəlɪ /

noun

a situation in which control of a commodity or service in a particular market is vested in just two producers or suppliers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

duopolistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of duopoly

First recorded in 1915–20; duo- + (mono)poly

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.

Novo Nordisk on Tuesday received a broker downgrade, with the analysts arguing that its status in a duopoly in both diabetes and weight loss are under threat.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026

It comes seven months after the regulator said Apple and Google had an "effective duopoly" in the UK over their dominance in the sector.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

That trend should be even stickier in a duopoly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

And we have a duopoly of networks: Visa and Mastercard, who process more than 80% of those transactions.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

Sportsbooks FanDuel and DraftKings have seen prediction markets lay siege to their sports-betting duopoly.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023