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:
Many analysts wonder whether the AI-tied stocks can continue to monopolize investors’ attentions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 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
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
Section 2 states that any company which monopolizes or attempts to monopolize a market is guilty of a felony.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2024
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
The AFC monopolizes precocious youth at the position.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 13, 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
And success; it monopolizes the sky, fairly blots out the stars, and obscures the sun like an eclipse.
From The Dominant Dollar by Ralph, Lester
Brinkema ruled last year that Google had illegally monopolized the online-auction technology that decides which ads appear on websites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 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
But it also makes it easier for rotten posts to go unchallenged, in particular now that the replies to popular posts are monopolized by people who pay for their replies to show up.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2023
While Winnie monopolized Brigit, Ella went to her bedroom and opened her little red door to find the family's dirt dobbin perched on the canopy of her bed.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
That rule was designed to prevent any entity from monopolizing state funds for vehicles that weren’t ready for production and to provide a level playing field for smaller manufacturers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
At issue was the definition of the market that Meta was allegedly monopolizing.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
Once guidelines changed to make it easier to detect monopolizing behavior, the FTC initiated a series of lawsuits to go after that behavior.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2025
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.
