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

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Etymology

Origin of lobby

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

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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

Attias stood in the hotel lobby, whose design leans toward gray, black, white, earth tones and chrome.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

“I’ve been with this show for years in all its different iterations,” Kilgore tells me as we wait for Folger in the theater’s funky, popcorn-scented lobby.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Patrick Martin, the head of France's Medef business lobby group, on Tuesday accused the state of having "failed" during the urban unrest that hit at least 3,000 businesses, according to preliminary estimates.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

Actors dot the lobby, doing vocal warm-ups between mini panic attacks and greeting old friends from past shows.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

She crossed the carpeted lobby, her head swimming, and pushed her way inside.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

The group, which lobbies for more opportunities for Belfast artists, is now challenging the government’s position on liquor licensing in court.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Joint lead bookrunner and stabilization agent Morgan Stanley adorned its lobbies, elevator banks and turnstiles with SpaceX logos and pictures of Mars.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Universities UK, which lobbies on behalf of more than 140 universities, has been approached for comment.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

Every hotel had filled to capacity, even beyond capacity, with some managers finding themselves compelled to install cots in lobbies and halls.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

In one of his myriad spreadsheets, Hartman projected that the final budget could include up to $15.5 million of the $20.5 million the company had lobbied for.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

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

“Even the contractors have lobbied with us to keep TPS extending, because they would lose a lot of manpower in this area,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Mexico has long lobbied for the return of historical artefacts taken from the country in past centuries.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Meeting him at the airport, Molly judged him “as near exhaustion as I had ever seen him” and lobbied him again to withdraw from the Geneva conference.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

By age 26, she was the CSO’s political director, drafting legislation and tenaciously lobbying for those bills in the state capitol, often ambushing lawmakers in their offices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Last Friday her lobbying paid off in new exemptions on many more specific products from Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

It added that none of the money would be used for lobbying or political donations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Fannie’s new forecast largely mirrored a separate prediction published earlier this week by the Mortgage Bankers Association, an industry lobbying group.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

Once he arrived safely in Rome, Ptolemy went to work lobbying for support.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

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Related Words

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

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