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Glite Dictionary
trustbuster

trustbuster

1 9.3
A government official who tries to break up companies that control a whole market by using the law
  • noun
  • /ˈtrʌstˌbʌstər/
  • Archaic
: rompedor de monopolios
  • trustbuster, Teddy Roosevelt

Examples

  • But where are today's trustbusters?

    Academic text (2016)

  • The federal trustbuster has launched an investigation into the company's unfair pricing practices.

  • As a seasoned trustbuster, she fought against the merger to protect competition in the market.

  • The role of a trustbuster is crucial in ensuring small businesses can compete fairly with monopolies.

Surface Forms

trustbuster singular
trustbusters plural

Morphology

trustbuster = trust + buster (transparent) = trust + buster

Formed from 'trust' (a business monopoly) + 'buster' (one who breaks something), giving a clear meaning 'one who breaks up trusts'.

Etymology

Trustbuster combines trust, which means 'a very large company or a group of companies that act like one', and buster, which means 'someone who breaks things', like in 'ghostbuster'. So a trustbuster is a person who works to 'break' powerful company trusts and stop a single firm from controlling the market.