vested interest
- a special interest in an existing system, arrangement, or institution for particular personal reasons.
- a permanent right given to an employee under a pension plan.
- vested interests, the persons, groups, etc., who benefit the most from existing business or financial systems.
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Origin of vested interest
First recorded in 1810–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
vested interest
- property law an existing and disposable right to the immediate or future possession and enjoyment of property
- a strong personal concern in a state of affairs, system, etc, usually resulting in private gain
- a person or group that has such an interest
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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
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.”
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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.
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.”
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.