Meaning & use
monopolised
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“monopolised” is a form of “monopolise”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitivebusiness
Controlled all or nearly all of a market or supply, excluding others.
Grammar: Takes an object: monopolised the market. Often used in the passive: was monopolised by.
Patterns
- monopolise something
- be monopolised by someone
The company monopolised the local telecom market for years.
Small shops were driven out after the giant retailer monopolised the area.
verbtransitive
Kept all of something for oneself, not sharing with others.
Grammar: Takes an object: monopolised the conversation. Often used figuratively.
Patterns
- monopolise something
- monopolise someone's attention
He monopolised the meeting, barely letting anyone else speak.
She monopolised her mother's attention all afternoon.
Word forms
| third person singular | monopolises |
|---|---|
| past tense | monopolised |
| past participle | monopolised |
| -ing form | monopolising |
Common combinations
- monopolise the market
- The new law aims to stop any single company from monopolising the market.
- monopolise the conversation
- At dinner, he monopolised the conversation with stories about his trip.
- monopolise resources
- The wealthy few monopolised the country's natural resources.
- monopolise someone's time
- The demanding client monopolised the lawyer's time for weeks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- corner
- Used for gaining control of a commodity's supply; more specific to trade.
- dominate
- Means to be the most powerful or important, not necessarily exclusive.
- hog
- Informal and disapproving; used for taking more than one's share.
Opposites
Word family
- monopoly noun
- Exclusive control of a market or supply.
- monopolist noun
- A person or company that has a monopoly.
- monopolistic adjective
- Relating to or characteristic of a monopoly.
- monopolisation noun
- The act of monopolising.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'monopolised' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Monopolised' is transitive and takes a direct object ('the market'). The other options insert unnecessary prepositions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “monopolised”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.