pork-barreler

American

[pawrk-bar-uh-ler, pohrk-] / ˈpɔrkˌbær ə lər, ˈpoʊrk- /

noun

Informal.

a politician, especially a senator or member of Congress who is party to or benefits from a pork barrel.

Etymology

Origin of pork-barreler

pork barrel + -er ¹

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.

“I’m glad and proud of them,” said Shelby, a legendary pork-barreler who has no fewer than seven buildings named after him in Alabama.

From Seattle Times

Last week, a full year before he comes up for reelection, just plain Bill Fulbright was wooing those votes for all he was worth�and presenting himself not only as a global thinker but as a peerless pork-barreler.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023