insider trading

American

noun

the illegal buying and selling of securities by persons acting on privileged information.

insider trading Cultural

The unlawful practice of using information that comes from a source “inside” the business but is not available to the general public to trade on the stock market. This activity is prohibited by law and is policed by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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In the mid-1980s, several revelations of insider trading rocked Wall Street.

Other Word Forms

insider trader

noun

Etymology

Origin of insider trading

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

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insider trading

As prediction markets have exploded in popularity, they have drawn scrutiny over the potential for insider trading.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

He is accused of violating Kalshi’s rules regarding insider trading and market manipulation, fining him more than $71,000.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

Kalshi and the other leading platform, Polymarket, also regularly report suspected insider trading to the federal government for investigation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The potential for insider trading to occur has also been raised.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Paolo’s father was a real estate mogul who had been indicted for insider trading some months ago.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

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