prisoner's dilemma

American

noun

(in game theory) a scenario in which the outcome of one person's decision is determined by the simultaneous decisions of the other participants, resulting in a bad outcome for all of them if all act in their own self-interest.

Etymology

Origin of prisoner's dilemma

From a dilemma in which partners in crime must decide whether to confess, without knowing each other's decision

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

prisoner's dilemma

SpaceX’s position creates a classic prisoner’s dilemma among the big carriers, noted Julie Zhu, a senior research associate at MoffettNathanson.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026

SpaceX could use strategies such as the prisoner’s dilemma, approaching one wireless company to force others to the table.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

“There’s a prisoner’s dilemma going on,” Conger said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

“It’s the prisoner’s dilemma everyone has been talking about.”

From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2023

This many- party prisoner’s dilemma is useful in modeling situations where the economic value of “intangibles” such as clean water, air, and space is an issue.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

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