exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market, or a control that makes possible the manipulation of prices.
an exclusive privilege to carry on a business, traffic, or service, granted by a government.
the exclusive possession or control of something.
something that is the subject of such control, as a commodity or service.
a company or group that has such control.
the market condition that exists when there is only one seller.
(initial capital letter) a board game in which a player attempts to gain a monopoly of real estate by advancing around the board and purchasing property, acquiring capital by collecting rent from other players whose pieces land on that property.
exclusive control of the market supply of a product or service
an enterprise exercising this control
the product or service so controlled
law the exclusive right or privilege granted to a person, company, etc, by the state to purchase, manufacture, use, or sell some commodity or to carry on trade in a specified country or area
exclusive control, possession, or use of something
How much money do you start with in Monopoly? In Monopoly, the money comes in denominations of $1 (white in color) to $500 (gold or orange). Each player starts with $1,500, as distributed and managed by the game’s designated banker. The $1,500 consists of 2 $500 bills, 2 $100 bills, and 2 $50 bills. It also includes 6 $20 bills; 5 $10 bills, 5 $5 bills, and 5 $1 bills.
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin monopōlium, from Greek monopṓlion “right of exclusive sale,” from mono- mono- + pōl(eîn) “to sell” + -ion, noun suffix
A monopoly is the exclusive ownership or control of something. If your sister claims a monopoly over the television during the Tom Cruise movie marathon, you would be wise not to touch that remote. In economics, a monopoly specifically means the domination of a market by one owner or seller. Think of the board game Monopoly. You’re trying to own all the properties so that you have a monopoly over the board and the other players have to pay you basically anywhere they land. You might recognize the prefix mono, meaning “one." Add it to the Greek word polein which means “sell,” and there you have it — one seller.
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The difference is that history is no longer written solely by the winners, and today’s industrialists no longer have a monopoly on shaping the narrative.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
The Federal Trade Commission followed in 1914 to protect the economy from unfair competition and monopoly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
"Granting a monopoly to a company for several years seemed tricky," he said, rejecting suggestions the project was designed to favour European interests.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
It might not be a coincidence that Vermeer’s stock started to rise in the mid-1800s, when photography began to supplant painting’s monopoly on images.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Unfortunately, he had gone 15 miles when he came to the junction of the Weser, and so to a stretch of river over which a guild of boatmen held a monopoly.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The imagery is everywhere in town; recent grad Sam Geller recalls playing a Lenox-themed Monopoly rip-off at the community center growing up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
The toy and entertainment giant, Hasbro - which owns brands including Peppa Pig, Transformers and Monopoly - has been hacked.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026
The senator’s report, entitled “So Casually Cruel: How Ticketmaster’s Monopoly Supercharges Prices and Fees,” examined over 100,000 documents and Ticketmaster’s revenue data.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
This provocation sets the narrative in motion, framed by Garbus’ choice to illustrate the children’s ambitions by animating them as pieces on a game board modeled after Monopoly.
From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2026
He recognizes his old Monopoly game being played, the board in two pieces, the racecar missing ever since Sonia dropped it into the baseboard heater when she was little.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Even as the federal government battled monopolies in court, something else happened that made unprecedented fortunes possible—a revolutionary way of thinking about stock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Steyer said he would reduce costs by taking on special interests and bringing about structural change and breaking up monopolies.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
U.S. antitrust laws, developed in the late 19th century, aim to prevent monopolies and foster competition.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
The E.U. has been acting to check the monopolies of Big Tech in Europe, hitting companies with hefty fines and launching investigations into data policies.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026
These local monopolies are reinforced by the Japanese government, which obstructs the import of foreign processed food by imposing a 10-day quarantine, among other restrictions.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
