monopoly
monopoly — noun
1. a market situation in which one company or group is the only seller of a particu
a market situation in which one company or group is the only seller of a particular product or service, giving it total power over price and supply without any competition
Kian's software firm held a monopoly on payment processing in Southeast Asia for a decade.
monopoly + on + [domain]
The government broke up the railroad monopoly to allow smaller companies to compete fairly.
break up + a + monopoly
When one company holds a monopoly, consumers usually pay higher prices with fewer choices.
Chidi argued that the new patent would create an unfair monopoly on essential medicines.
Valentina's research showed how the monopoly controlled water prices across the region.
- control
much broader; does not imply exclusivity or lack of competition
- dominance
implies being the strongest player, not the only one; softer than monopoly
- exclusivity
focuses on legal or contractual sole-supplier rights rather than market power
- corner (informal)
verb phrase 'corner the market' — implies strategic capture of supply, not necessarily legal
- competition
a market with multiple sellers; the opposite condition of monopoly
- free market
an economic system where no single entity dominates trade
文法句型
monopoly + on/over/of + [domain]
hold/have + a + monopoly + on + [domain]
用法筆記
Countable when referring to a specific market or entity ('a monopoly on rare minerals'); uncountable when discussing the concept in general ('Monopoly hurts consumer choice'). The prepositions on and over are both common, though on is more frequent in modern usage. of appears in older or legal writing.