Profiteer (Verb)
Meaning
Make an unreasonable profit, as on the sale of difficult to obtain goods.
Classification
Verbs of buying, selling, owning.
Examples
- The company was accused of price gouging and profiteering from the sale of masks during the pandemic.
- During natural disasters, some individuals profiteer by selling essential goods at inflated prices, taking advantage of desperate people.
- He made a huge profit by buying up all the available generators and then reselling them to the people who had lost power during the storm.
- In the aftermath of the crisis, several companies were criticized for attempting to profiteer from the desperation of those who had lost everything.
- The government had to intervene and impose price controls to prevent businesses from profiteering on critical medical supplies during the outbreak.