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

She has a lot of relatives in the building trades and gets them access to an empty office, unfinished beyond its impressive lobby, where they‘re faking it ‘til they’re making it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

The change was hailed by Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a lobby group that includes Detroit and international carmakers.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

It added member clubs had already provided "a mandate to lobby for appropriate reform" which had "not kept pace with significant developments in stadium management, safety and stewarding".

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

A few weeks ago, I met an acquaintance for coffee at a Cuban café attached to a downtown hostel, where people with backpacks of varying dimensions passed steadily through the lobby.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Just moments before, in the building lobby, he’d handed a package of film to Janet Chisholm.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

The National Association of Broadcasters, which lobbies on behalf of networks including Fox, questioned that figure, saying, “it does not describe what a typical fan can watch on local channels in their own market.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 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

By the 1930s, popping machines were increasingly becoming fixtures in lobbies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

Booth was a creature of the city and its fancy hotel lobbies, saloons, oyster bars, and gaslit shadows.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

Sources also say they lobbied the Premier League to allow the forward to use "JJ Gabriel" on the back of his shirt - which they believe underlined their commitment to the academy prospect.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

To work with Collins, Navatek hired a lobbyist, Glen Mandigo, who also lobbied for the University of Maine and was tight with her office.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

His brother Gurpreet Singh Johal has lobbied successive governments calling for his brother's release.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Another recalled a parent who successfully lobbied to ban cupcakes from classroom birthday celebrations—only to protest when she was later barred from sending cupcakes for her own child’s birthday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

The two of us together lobbied other countries’ governments to help fund programming for girls’ education while encouraging private companies and think tanks to commit to the cause.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

The industries on both sides have spent tens of millions lobbying the bill since its introduction several years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

When not lobbying reporters or working on his case, he reads the news and takes walks, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

She says she started lobbying for this herself in 2017.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

"There's always a lot of lobbying, and ultimately perhaps also attempts to exert pressure on the committee," the secretary of the Nobel committee, Kristian Berg Harpviken, told AFP in an interview.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Aunt Lydia said she was lobbying for the front.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

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