DictionaryAI

capitalism

noun
SayKAP-i-tuh-li-zuhmUS/ˈkæpɪ̈tl̩ˌɪzm̩/UK/ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/

4 meanings of capitalism

Practice

  1. 1
    noununcountable
    A system where private people and companies, not the government, own factories and businesses and run them to make money.

    Like a school bake sale where each student owns their own table and keeps what they earn.

    Under capitalism, anyone can start a company and keep the money it makes.

    Some people say capitalism makes companies care more about money than about their workers.

    Oppositesocialism, communism

    Note
  2. 2
    noununcountable
    A way of organizing a country where people, not the government, own land, money, and other resources.

    After the war, the country slowly moved from communism to capitalism.

    People who support capitalism believe that owning things privately makes people work harder.

    Oppositesocialism, communism

    Note
  3. 3
    noununcountable
    A system where people can own land, money, and businesses, and most choices are made by buyers and sellers, not the government.

    Under pure capitalism, the government does not control what stores can charge.

    Many people believe capitalism works best when the government leaves businesses alone.

    Oppositesocialism, communism

    Note
  4. 4
    noununcountable
    A system that turns land and other resources into private wealth, with buying and selling mostly free of government control.

    Under capitalism, even a forest can be bought and sold to make money.

    In countries with capitalism, owners trade farms, factories, and mines like any other goods.

    Oppositesocialism, communism

    Note

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Origin

It comes from French capitalisme, meaning the state of being rich, made from 'capital' plus '-ism'. The novelist William Thackeray first used it in English in the 1850s.