monopolize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to acquire, have, or exercise a monopoly of.
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to obtain exclusive possession of; keep entirely to oneself.
Children monopolize one's time.
verb
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to have, control, or make use of fully, excluding others
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to obtain, maintain, or exploit a monopoly of (a market, commodity, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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monopolizationnoun
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monopolizernoun
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overmonopolizeverb (used with object)
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premonopolizeverb (used with object)
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antimonopolizationadjective
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unmonopolizedadjective
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unmonopolizingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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monopolizesimple
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monopolizessimple
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have monopolizedperfect
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has monopolizedperfect
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am monopolizingprogressive
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are monopolizingprogressive
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is monopolizingprogressive
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have been monopolizingperfect progressive
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has been monopolizingperfect progressive
Past
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monopolizedsimple
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had monopolizedperfect
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was monopolizingprogressive
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were monopolizingprogressive
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had been monopolizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of monopolize
First recorded in 1605–15; monopol(y) + -ize
Explanation
If you monopolize something, you won't let anyone else get their hands on it. When you were little, your mom might have said, "Don't monopolize the swing. Let your sister have a turn." When a company monopolizes something, it has an unfair amount of control over a particular product or service, hurting other companies and giving consumers fewer choices. A business might monopolize the media in an entire state, for example, by owning the local newspapers, TV stations, and news websites. Monopolize comes from monopoly, which isn't just a great board game, but actually means "exclusive control of a commodity or trade."
Vocabulary lists containing monopolize
30 GRE Words Beginning with "K" "L""M" and "N" and "O"
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"Declaration of Sentiments" by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
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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.
See Examples For:
Future hikes are anticipated, and with Xbox moving out of the picture, their efforts to monopolize the market seem likely to be rewarded and they’ll simply weather the complaints.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Federal Trade Commission is launching an antitrust probe into the company over whether it will try to monopolize the CPU market after launching its own chip.
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
Financiers and corporate leaders didn’t monopolize the benefits of big innovations; instead, a sense of social uplift for everyone helped ease misgivings about progress’s rapid pace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Understanding just how China came to monopolize the rare-earth industry can help investors anticipate what’s coming next, making it easier to invest in the critical—and exceedingly volatile—sector.
From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025
That factor alone would explain why societies of thousands can exist only if they develop centralized authority to monopolize force and resolve conflicts.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Department of Justice in an epic antitrust case, alleging that Google monopolizes online advertising technology.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 7, 2023
On platforms such as Zoom, the screen monopolizes our interactions.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 27, 2022
“If the dominant male monopolizes the matings, then the effective population size is much smaller than it would be if all sexually mature males were able to mate,” she said.
From New York Times ● Sep. 17, 2021
Unfortunately, it's hard to pursue that inquiry when the wider war monopolizes our attention.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 28, 2018
The tobacco, which is to-day the article that engrosses the mind and monopolizes the attention of the planters, is of a superior quality, emulating the Cuban production.
From The Mayas, the Sources of Their History Dr. Le Plongeon in Yucatan, His Account of Discoveries by Salisbury, Stephen
For example, Leo points out that the private companies who’ve monopolized control over and knowledge of A.I. are given to “technocratic thinking” that “tends to amplify the power of those who already possess economic resources.”
From Slate ● May 28, 2026
Visa ultimately abandoned the transaction, but the Justice Department sued the company four years later alleging it monopolized debit markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
One key defense in antitrust cases is to try to define the market allegedly being monopolized as broadly as possible, minimizing the defendant’s share of that relevant market.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2024
Department of Justice lawsuit against Google that claimed the company monopolized online advertising, including the technology that many online publishers use to offer ad space.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2023
That’s much easier in these days of high-tech weaponry, produced only in industrial plants and easily monopolized by an elite, than in ancient times of spears and clubs easily made at home.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Though the businessman and Mormon missionary never mined for gold himself, he became California’s first millionaire by monopolizing the sale of supplies to those who did.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
At issue was the definition of the market that Meta was allegedly monopolizing.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
Pro sports lost me when big money teams began monopolizing, causing my beloved Pirates to fall by the wayside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2024
“We've seen over the last decade or so, manufacturers have realized that they can make a lot of money by monopolizing repair of their devices,” Jason Koebler, a tech journalist at 404 Media, told NPR.
From Salon ● Nov. 18, 2024
Nicole and Kimmie were there first, monopolizing Gregor.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
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.
