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💰 A greedy seller 💰 To overcharge
to profiteer

to profiteer

4 7.7
To make large unfair profits by charging high prices during a shortage
  • verb
  • /ˌprɒfɪˈtɪr/
translation icon : especular
  • The government is investigating whether certain businesses are profiteering from the disaster by raising prices unjustly.
  • accused of profiteering
  • profiteering companies

Examples

  • Public statements by reformers have used words like profiting and profiteering when discussing providers.

    Academic text (1993)

  • During the pandemic, some companies were accused of profiteering by charging inflated prices for essential goods.

  • Like, why was it necessary to financialize and profiteer in the first place?

    Blog text (20)

  • More like too busy caring about profiteering off the less fortunate on this planet.

    Blog text (4)

  • Nothing but a profiteering money-grubber.

    Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

  • I keep track of who has profited or profiteered in the resulting wars.

    Blog text (6)

  • The entire bailout operation is nothing more than protecting the holdings of the very wealthy who managed to profiteer greatly to the point of economic collapse for the rest of us.

    Blog text (30)

  • Now, you've been criticized and in some circles... ...outright accused of profiteering off the misery of others.

    Halloween II (2009)

  • Occupy is growing, and so is discontent with our vacationing, profiteering, and lazy-ass Congress.

    Blog text (25)

  • Perhaps most revealing, he first used the name Publius in order to attack Samuel Chase, a member of the Continental Congress whom Hamilton accused of profiteering from inside information.

    Academic text (1993)

Synonyms

to gouge the customer
vsto profiteer
1 8.2

Charge customers much more than is fair

focuses on gaining excessive profit during crises or shortages

How Exploitative

to extort
44 8.1
to profiteer
4 7.7
to capitalize
76 4.9
to profit
140 3.2
to sell
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

profiteer infinitive
profiteered past
profiteered past participle
profiteering present participle
profiteers third person singular

Morphology

profiteer = profit (semi-transparent) = profit + eer

Verb formed from the verb 'profit' with '-eer' to mean 'to act as a profiteer'; the exploitative connotation may not be fully predictable from components.

Etymology

Profiteer as a verb comes from the same parts: profit + -eer, so it means 'to try to make large gains', especially in an unfair way such as raising prices during a shortage.