Monopolise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To hold exclusive authority over a resource or market, thereby eliminating competitors and restricting access to others within that domain
2. To gain exclusive control over a particular market or resource, limiting others from participation
3. To dominate supply or access to a commodity or service, preventing competitors from obtaining influence

Etymology: The verb is simply "monopoly" with the suffix "-ize" attached, and the suffix itself has a long journey. It began in ancient Greek as "-izein", a verb-forming ending, which passed into Late Latin as "-izare" and then into Old French as "-iser". English took it on in the Middle Ages in the form "-isen", and it settled into the modern "-ize" spelling later. Many everyday English verbs ending in "-ize" were built the same way, by attaching this ending to a noun. The base word "monopoly" came into English from Latin and Greek roots meaning "single seller", which is the heart of what the word still describes. To monopolize is therefore to make oneself the only seller, or to gain such control over a market that no rival can compete. The suffix turns a noun naming a situation into a verb describing the action of creating it.

Synonyms: control, dominate, own

Antonyms: share, distribute, collaborate