| 1. | the circumstance of a public officeholder, business executive, or the like, whose personal interests might benefit from his or her official actions or influence: The senator placed his stocks in trust to avoid possible conflict of interest. |
| 2. | the circumstance of a person who finds that one of his or her activities, interests, etc., can be advanced only at the expense of another of them. |
| conflict of interest n. pl. conflicts of interest A conflict between a person's private interests and public obligations. |
A situation in which someone who has to make a decision in an official capacity stands to profit personally from the decision. For example, a judge who rules on a case involving a corporation in which he or she owns stock has a conflict of interest.