vested interest

See synonyms for: vested interestvested interests on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a special interest in an existing system, arrangement, or institution for particular personal reasons.

  2. a permanent right given to an employee under a pension plan.

  1. vested interests, the persons, groups, etc., who benefit the most from existing business or financial systems.

Origin of vested interest

1
First recorded in 1810–20

Words Nearby vested interest

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use vested interest in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vested interest

vested interest

noun
  1. property law an existing and disposable right to the immediate or future possession and enjoyment of property

  2. a strong personal concern in a state of affairs, system, etc, usually resulting in private gain

  1. a person or group that has such an interest

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for vested interest

vested interest

A phrase that indicates a deep personal (and possibly financial) interest in some political or economic proposal: “As a major stockholder of the Ford Motor Company, Senator Bilge had a vested interest in legislation restricting the import of Japanese autos.” The plural, vested interests, often refers to powerful, wealthy property holders: “His radical policies enraged vested interests.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with vested interest

vested interest

A personal stake in something, as in She has a vested interest in keeping the house in her name. This term, first recorded in 1818, uses vested in the sense of “established” or “secured.”

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.