Meanings
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1
noun
an association of independent businesses or producers that coordinate prices, output, or markets in order to limit competition
Several cement producers were fined for forming a cartel that fixed prices and divided public contracts.
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2
noun
a large criminal organization, especially one controlling the production and distribution of illegal drugs
The government charged the cartel with trafficking drugs across the border.
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3
noun
a formal alliance of political parties or groups for coordinated action, especially in historical European usage
The small parties formed an electoral cartel and presented a joint list of candidates.
Thesaurus
Etymology
The political sense came through French cartel from Italian cartello, 'placard or written challenge,' a diminutive of carta, 'paper.' The modern business sense entered through German Kartell in the nineteenth century, extending the idea of a formal agreement to firms coordinating their conduct.