rent-seeking

or rent seek·ing

[ rent-see-king ]

nounEconomics.
  1. the act or process of using one’s assets and resources to increase one’s share of existing wealth without creating new wealth.

  2. (specifically) the act or process of exploiting the political process or manipulating the economic environment to increase one’s revenue or profits: Rent-seeking by lobbyists succeeded in obtaining favorable tariff treatment for the company’s exports.

Origin of rent-seeking

1
First recorded in 1970–75; (economic) rent + seeking

Other words from rent-seeking

  • rent-seeker, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rent-seeking in a sentence

  • Our regulatory structures too often encourage deindustrialization and rent-seeking.

    It's All Medicare All the Time | Noah Kristula-Green | August 16, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Bastiat was also wise enough to anticipate what modern economists call "rent seeking" and "rent avoidance" behavior.

    The Law | Frdric Bastiat