conflicts of interest

Noun

conflict of interest (countable and uncountable, plural conflicts of interest, abbreviation COI)

1. A situation in which an individual or legal entity in a position of trust (such as an attorney, investment advisor, broker, politician, executive, director, scientist or physician) has competing professional or personal interests.
   • Grassley continues to probe Abedin’s potential conflicts of interest when she was getting four different paychecks at once. “We know she set up dinners for Secretary Clinton and her private-sector employers and e-mailed private-sector employees from government accounts,” he says.2016 January 31, “Is Huma Abedin Hillary Clinton’s Secret Weapon or Her Next Big Problem?”, in Vanity Fair, retrieved 21 Jan 2016

   Synonyms:

   COI

2. The competing interest itself.