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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NewStreet Research analyst Blair Levin on Friday added that SpaceX’s potential monopoly on satellites and rocket launches could squeeze the big three wireless providers and that Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are pushing back.
From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026
Financial exchanges are another overlooked theme, as Citrini sees “CME’s monopoly coming to an end” due to a landmark shift in March 2026 when S&P Dow Jones Indices licensed a 24/7 equity-index perpetual.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 25, 2026
Saudi Arabia’s oil monopoly recorded the largest annual corporate profit ever—$161 billion in 2022.
From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026
Still, Ajinomoto says it hasn’t hiked prices and won’t do so simply because it can, despite being pressured by investors to cash in on its AI monopoly.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Ultimately, one tends to avoid him, for the universal characteristic of children is to assume that they have a monopoly on trouble, and therefore a monopoly on you.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
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.
