Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for profiteering. Search instead for profitable hyperlinks.
Synonyms

profiteering

American  
[pro-fi-teer-ing] / ˌprɒ fɪˈtɪər ɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act or practice of seeking exorbitant profits, especially through the sale of scarce or rationed goods.

    The companies who raised prices before, during, or after the hurricane were charged with profiteering.

Etymology

Origin of profiteering

First recorded in 1810–15; profit ( def. ) + -eer ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. )

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.

This is not the first time that Gilead has been accused of profiteering.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Investment banking evolved from financing industrial growth to financialization, consistently facing allegations of profiteering.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

A spokesman told the Financial Times that it did not "tolerate any administration official illegally profiteering off of insider knowledge".

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

"I don't want to tar every business with the same brush by any means, but there is some profiteering."

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

“Are you silently condemning me for profiteering from the war? Somebody had to import the stockfish, you know.”

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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.