lobbyist
Americannoun
-
lobbyists
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of lobbyist
Explanation
A lobbyist is someone hired by a business or a cause to persuade legislators to support that business or cause. Lobbyists get paid to win favor from politicians. For example, oil companies send lobbyists to Washington to try to make life easier for oil companies. Sometimes they do it by making a great case for their cause, but often it involves fancy dinners and golf outings. If that sounds kind of shady, it is. But remember that women's rights groups and cancer research foundations have lobbyists, too — it's just one way to get your voice heard on the Hill.
Vocabulary lists containing lobbyist
100 Top "SAT" Words
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U.S. Government Lingo
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Vocabulary from President Trump's First Address to Congress
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A Washington industry lobbyist interviewed by AFP predicted a pragmatic approach from companies.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Christos Marafatsos works as an energy lobbyist while also closely advising the U.S. ambassador to Greece.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
“You should not feel aggrieved nor should you ever put that in writing,” Todd Webster, another lobbyist Navatek hired, replied.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Elaine Crory, a women's sector lobbyist at the Women's Resource and Development Agency, said there's a lack of awareness about when and how the glasses are being used, leading to issues around consent.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
One was a lawyer and lobbyist from the state capital of Columbus.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Merchant lobbyists have had conversations with White House officials in recent weeks about a route to passing the bill, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Means complained in other meetings that he believed some White House officials were behaving like it was their job to help food industry lobbyists work against Kennedy’s agenda, one person said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
His generosity is so well known, in fact, that an industry of lobbyists, lawyers and other insiders has reportedly sprung up to facilitate clemency for wealthy criminals.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
The bill turned out to be part of an elaborate FBI sting that resulted in 14 legislators, lobbyists and others being sent to prison.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
I thought maybe we’d discuss how to navigate social situations with lobbyists or the legalities of raising money for a future campaign.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
