lobby

American  

[lob-ee] / ˈlɒb i /

noun

• lobbies
  plural

1. an entrance hall, corridor, or vestibule, as in a public building, often serving as an anteroom; foyer.

2. a large public room or hall adjacent to a legislative chamber.

3. a group of persons who work or conduct a campaign to influence members of a legislature to vote according to the group's special interest.

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verb (used without object)

• lobbies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• lobbied,
  past participle,  past
• lobbying
  present participle

1. to solicit or try to influence the votes of members of a legislative body.

verb (used with object)

• lobbies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• lobbied,
  past participle,  past
• lobbying
  present participle

1. to try to influence the actions of (public officials, especially legislators).

2. to urge or procure the passage of (a bill), by lobbying.

lobby British  

/ ˈlɒbɪ /

noun

1. a room or corridor used as an entrance hall, vestibule, etc

2. a hall in a legislative building used for meetings between the legislators and members of the public

3. Also called: division lobby.  one of two corridors in a legislative building in which members vote

4. a group of persons who attempt to influence legislators on behalf of a particular interest

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verb

1. to attempt to influence (legislators, etc) in the formulation of policy

2. (intr) to act in the manner of a lobbyist

3. (tr) to apply pressure or influence for the passage of (a bill, etc)

lobby Cultural  

1. A group whose members share certain goals and work to bring about the passage, modification, or defeat of laws that affect these goals. Lobbies (also called interest groups or pressure groups) can be long-standing (such as minority groups struggling to have their civil rights guaranteed) or ad hoc (such as a community threatened by proposed construction of a nuclear power plant). Lobbies may use grassroots methods, such as local rallies and campaigns, to build support for their cause and often employ professional lobbyists, who testify before congressional committees and approach policymakers in all government branches. Powerful lobbies, such as the AFL-CIO and the American Legion, with millions of members, have succeeded in establishing influence in Washington, D.C.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lobbyer
  noun
• unlobbied
  adjective
• unlobbying
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lobbies
  plural

Participles

• lobbying
  present
• lobbied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• lobby
  simple
• lobbies
  simple
• have lobbied
  perfect
• has lobbied
  perfect
• am lobbying
  progressive
• are lobbying
  progressive
• is lobbying
  progressive
• have been lobbying
  perfect progressive
• has been lobbying
  perfect progressive

Past

• lobbied
  simple
• had lobbied
  perfect
• was lobbying
  progressive
• were lobbying
  progressive
• had been lobbying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will lobby
  simple
• will have lobbied
  perfect
• will be lobbying
  progressive
• will have been lobbying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of lobby

1545–55; < Medieval Latin lobia, laubia covered way < Old High German *laubia (later lauba ) arbor, derivative of laub leaf

Explanation

A lobby is a large waiting room or reception area. If you're waiting for an appointment in a lobby, maybe you'll get lucky and find a good magazine or even a peppermint candy. You'll find a lot of people hanging around in a lobby — which is basically what it’s there for. A lobby is where you meet your friend at the hotel or catch the elevator for your interview. The idea of the "political lobby group" came from the large entrance halls of the legislature, where people hung around trying to influence the lawmakers. So the next time your class tries to lobby your teacher for extra credit, he can thank the halls of Congress.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lobby lobbies lobbied lobbying

Two Auschwitz survivors are still overwhelmed, 60 years later, when they describe finding each other in the Lutetia’s lobby in 1945.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

It had a waterfall in the lobby, a pool on the roof, valet parking and all sorts of other conveniences.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Mike Hawes, boss of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the primary car industry lobby group, said the ZEV mandate was "conceived under vastly different conditions".

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

In the courthouse lobby, a hand-painted mural celebrates the county’s history.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

So he’d fetched stamps for Fred Bocarelli from the little shop off the lobby, and he’d helped Elise Hadley do a FaceTime from her iPad, and of course he’d visited with me.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

The pair exchanged words in the division lobbies afterwards, with a Labour source claiming that Badenoch told Phillipson: "You are spiteful, I'm never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are."

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

“Unlike apartment life, townhouses offer the freedom of full independence: no shared walls, no coop boards or common lobbies, no neighbors above or below,” it reads.

From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026

Ballroom architect Shalom Baranes said the building would span 22,000 sq ft and include two entry lobbies, a commercial kitchen, an office for the first lady and a movie theatre.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026

On Dubai's artificial island, empty beaches stand in stark contrast to frantic hotel lobbies, where stranded tourists have taken shelter as they wait for a way home.

From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026

More people abandoned the bars and hotel lobbies of Poughkeepsie and made their way down to the river.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Back in 2021, activists had successfully lobbied the state of New Jersey to prohibit municipal and county governments as well as private facilities from entering into new contracts with ICE to house immigration detainees.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

Albanese's announcement comes after it emerged this week that US startup Anthropic has lobbied Australian officials to change copyright laws to assist the training of AI models.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

The only other time a red-card suspension was overruled during a World Cup was in 1962, when Brazilian attacker Garrincha was allowed to play in the final after Brazil’s prime minister lobbied on his behalf.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

The charity has lobbied the government to commit to introducing new guidance for schools on how to keep their students engaged.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

It’s the Survivalists that lobbied to retake the cities nearly a decade ago, the idea being that if the cities were safe they could provide an anchor to regain the continent.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

The sacking, announced by decree, happened however as Kyiv was lobbying Washington hard to obtain more Patriot air defence missiles to block Russian strikes.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

That was McCourt’s brainchild, back in 2018, and he’s a guy with lobbying muscle and friends in high places.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Netanyahu is expected to attend the funeral and meet with Trump, a win for the prime minister after weeks of lobbying for a White House sit-down.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

The act was opposed by the Real Estate Board of New York, a lobbying group that represents the real-estate industry, including brokers.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

The New York Tribune also praised her, writing, “All the past efforts of Miss Anthony and Mrs. Stanton sink to insignificance beside the ingenious lobbying of the new leader and her daring declaration.”

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Related Words

• campaign for
• persuade
• politick
• press
• promote
• push
• request
• solicit
• sway
• urge