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:
The candidate is linked to — but not accused of any wrongdoing in — a corruption case involving two former advisors and a lobbyist who siphoned $225,000 money from one of Becerra’s campaign accounts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
A farmer and lobbyist, Sell disclosed four farms, worth a combined total of $1.25 million to $2.5 million.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Days before the party, he officially registered as a lobbyist for Kalshi, according to a disclosure form.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
"I think this is still a very big, great experiment and everybody's still trying to figure out what that means to them," the lobbyist told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
One was a lawyer and lobbyist from the state capital of Columbus.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Drinks industry lobbyists had previously warned that the time taken to appoint Wales' operator had risked delaying the launch of the scheme.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
In July, as scrutiny of the outbreak intensified, company executives and lobbyists met privately with the White House.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
In addition, Carvalho received “gifts from contractors and lobbyists beyond the limits permitted by law,” the letter alleged.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
They should avoid the tantrums of industry lobbyists who say that if a law allows for people to sue, innovation will end.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
He overhauled ethics rules governing White House employees’ interactions with lobbyists and, most important, managed to push a major economic stimulus bill through Congress, even though not a single House Republican voted in its favor.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions 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.
