vested interest

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vest·ed in·ter·est • n. [usu. in sing.] a personal stake or involvement in an undertaking or state of affairs, esp. one with an expectation of financial gain: banks have a vested interest in the growth of their customers. ∎  a person or group having such a personal stake or involvement: the problem is that the authorities are a vested interest. ∎  Law an interest (usually in land or money held in trust) recognized as belonging to a particular person.

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