price war

American  

noun

1. intensive competition, especially among retailers, in which prices are repeatedly cut in order to undersell competitors or sometimes to force smaller competitors out of business.

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price war British  

noun

1. a period of intense competition among enterprises, esp retail enterprises, in the same market, characterized by repeated price reductions rather than advertising, brand promotion, etc

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Etymology

Origin of price war

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, the rise of formidable local rivals has crowded the market and driven vicious price wars, eating into profit margins.

From The Wall Street Journal

The price war has drawn the ire of Beijing, with China’s top market regulator earlier this year calling for the companies to engage in “rational” competition.

From The Wall Street Journal

And some are not yet in the price wars.

From MarketWatch

The new price war comes as the weight loss drug manufacturers have grown increasingly open about the centrality of the new direct-to-consumer channels to their weight loss market strategies.

From Barron's

Chinese regulators have since cracked down on price wars in the food-delivery sector, and all three companies have vowed to scale back discounting.

From The Wall Street Journal