monopolise

monopolise — verb

1. to gain such strong control in a business area that other companies cannot take

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to gain such strong control in a business area that other companies cannot take a real part in selling, supplying, or setting prices.

例句

One airline monopolised flights to the island and kept fares far too high.

monopolise + service and influence prices

The software giant tried to monopolise online ads by buying smaller rivals.

monopolise + market by buying rivals

同義詞
  • dominate

    broader and does not always imply blocking competitors completely

  • corner

    more informal and often used for taking control of a market

  • control

    more general and weaker in its sense of exclusion

反義詞
  • share

    allows others to take part instead of keeping control alone

  • compete

    describes several businesses operating against each other

文法句型

monopolise + market/industry/service

monopolise + access/supply

用法筆記

Usually takes a market, service, supply, or access point as its object. It suggests rivals are shut out, not merely that one company is popular or successful.

常見錯誤

❌That cafe monopolised the street because students loved it.
✅That chain monopolised the street by renting every empty shop unit.
💡monopolise means excluding rivals, not simply being the most popular.

2. to keep one person or a discussion mostly to yourself by talking so much that ot

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to keep one person or a discussion mostly to yourself by talking so much that other people cannot join in easily.

例句

At dinner, Felix monopolised the conversation with stories about his new yacht.

monopolise the conversation

Priya's uncle monopolised her for half an hour at the wedding reception.

monopolise + person + for + time

同義詞
  • dominate

    broader and can apply without the idea of keeping others out verbally

  • hog

    informal and especially common for attention, time, or conversation

  • take over

    general phrase for becoming the main speaker or controller

反義詞
  • share

    lets other people speak or take part as well

  • include

    actively brings other people into the discussion

文法句型

monopolise + conversation/discussion

monopolise + person + for + time

用法筆記

Common when someone keeps talking, keeps another person occupied, or takes over shared speaking time. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about excluding rivals in business rather than social interaction.

常見錯誤

❌He monopolised one answer in class.
✅He monopolised the class discussion.
💡monopolise usually covers a whole conversation or another person's time, not a single reply.