&gt; The wikipedia definition is: &quot;seeking to increase one&#x27;s share of existing wealth without creating new wealth&quot;.<p>I think I figured it out. &quot;Rent seeking&quot; means &quot;trying to get something for nothing&quot; economically.<p>This would be a lot less confusing if people would just use straightforward terminology (&quot;getting something for nothing&quot;) rather than an opaque phrase that sounds like something else (&quot;rent seeking&quot;).