prisoner's dilemma
Americannoun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
In some cases, it’s a classic prisoner’s dilemma: If firms collectively shift to cleaner energy, a cooler climate benefits everyone more in the future.
From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2024
Individuals have different motivations and reasons to collaborate, resulting in social dilemmas, such as the well-known prisoner's dilemma.
From Science Daily • Feb. 26, 2024
Thus, the choice of whether to praise or to pan is something of a prisoner’s dilemma.
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
