interest group

American  

noun

1. a group of people drawn or acting together in support of a common interest or to voice a common concern.

   Political interest groups seek to influence legislation.

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interest group Cultural  

1. An organized group that tries to influence the government to adopt certain policies or measures. Also called pressure group. (See lobby.)

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Etymology

Origin of interest group

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

interest group

Do those educators make mistakes, often as a result of interest group pressure?

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2025

“For better or worse, government data is the official record,” said Ishan Mehta, director for media and democracy at Common Cause, the nonpartisan public interest group.

From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2025

G77: Stands for the “Group of 77,” a developing-countries interest group that formed within the U.N. in 1964.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 18, 2023

“It may mean saying no to an interest group that’s had our back in the past. It may mean reaching out to a colleague whose beliefs are different than our own.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2023

No interest group has meaning except with reference to other interest groups; and those other interest groups are pressures; they count in the government process.

From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Robert Ezra Park

Related Words

• lobby
• political action committee
• pressure group