məˈnäpəˌlīz transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Usage: see -ize
Etymology: monopoly + -ize
: to acquire a monopoly of : have or get the exclusive privilege of the means of dealing in or the exclusive possession of : engross the whole of
Synonyms:
engross , absorb , consume : monopolize implies the exclusive, often overbearingly exclusive, possession or control of something which more generally would be distributed, publicly available, or more publicly controlled
monopolize the auto market in the area
monopolize the attention of a guest
monopolize a family car
engross applies usually to an unprotested monopolizing of attention, interest, or time, as of one charmed of held irresistibly
a group of boys sprawl, teen-age fashion, on couches and chairs, engrossed in a drama that blares from a television set — Lamp
they were so engrossed in each other that she didn't see me until I was five feet away — Scott Fitzgerald
an engrossing novel
absorb is often interchangeable with engross but usually has a nonpersonal subject and suggests a monopolizing more often against the will of the one acted upon than does engross
crammed with ideas, projects, hobbies — enough to keep you absorbed and fascinated for the next five hundred years — Glynne Hiller
petty cares and vexations that absorb life's energies — M.R.Cohen
consume , in the somewhat extended sense pertinent here, stresses the monopolizing of the total attention, interest, or time which is its usual object
a consuming interest
a consuming curiosity
the guilt which consumed Lawrence during those treacherous moments — H.M.Sachar