mo ‧ nop ‧ o ‧ lize BrE AmE ( also monopolise British English ) /məˈnɒpəlaɪz $ -ˈnɑː-/ verb [transitive]
1 . to have complete control over something so that other people cannot share it or take part in it:
The company has monopolized the soft drinks market.
He monopolized the conversation all evening.
2 . to use a lot of someone’s time or attention:
Virtually all her time and energy is now monopolized by the children.
—monopolist noun [countable]