oligopoly

American  

[ol-i-gop-uh-lee] / ˌɒl ɪˈgɒp ə li /

noun

1. the market condition that exists when there are few sellers, as a result of which they can greatly influence price and other market factors.

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oligopoly British  

/ ˌɒlɪˈɡɒpəlɪ /

noun

1. economics a market situation in which control over the supply of a commodity is held by a small number of producers each of whom is able to influence prices and thus directly affect the position of competitors

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oligopoly Cultural  

1. Control over the production and sale of a product or service by a few companies.

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Other Word Forms

• oligopolistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of oligopoly

First recorded in 1890–95; oligo- + (mono)poly

Example Sentences

We are leaving fragmented competition for the era of oligopoly.

From MarketWatch

Carolyn Rogers endorsed a competition shakeup in the highly concentrated financial-services industry, saying the country’s banking sector is an oligopoly and changes could help lift Canada’s prolonged productivity slump.

From The Wall Street Journal

OTTAWA—The Bank of Canada’s No. 2 official endorsed a competition shakeup in the highly concentrated financial-services industry, saying the country’s banking sector is an oligopoly and changes could help lift Canada’s prolonged productivity slump.

From The Wall Street Journal

Supreme Court decision that effectively broke up the studio oligopolies.

From Los Angeles Times

“Big, fat tech oligopolies looking for more growth and profit; there are the medium-size companies that over-hired during boom times; and there are the smaller start-ups that are just trying to gain runway to survive.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• cartel
• holding
• ownership
• patent
• trust