lobbyist
Americannoun
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:
"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
Crucially, the law also extends to any US contractor that shares a lobbyist or law firm with a blacklisted entity.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
The retired lobbyist has supported the mockingbird—and bashed the scrub jay—for decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
The nonprofit’s executive director, Tori Barnes, is a former lobbyist for the U.S.
From Salon ● May 18, 2026
Also in 1870, Victoria Woodhull moved to Washington, DC, and began working as a lobbyist for women’s suffrage.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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
Rather than blaming the president, she turned her anger toward tech companies and their lobbyists.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
His expensive deployment of Washington lobbyists paid off when the US lifted its long-term sanctions on him.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
Lobbying disclosure forms showed he had paid more than $1 million to lobbyists to help secure his pardon.
From Salon ● Apr. 21, 2026
The world’s leaders met with the vuvv, after meeting with national Chambers of Commerce and various lobbyists.
From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson
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.
