pressure group

American  

noun

1. an interest group that attempts to influence legislation through the use of lobbying techniques and propaganda.

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pressure group British  

noun

1. a group of people who seek to exert pressure on legislators, public opinion, etc, in order to promote their own ideas or welfare

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pressure group Cultural  

1. An organized group that tries to influence the government to adopt certain policies or measures. Also called an interest group. (See lobby.)

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Etymology

Origin of pressure group

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pressure group

But "for now, the CJP will function as a pressure group", Dipke added, rather than a political party.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

A veteran figure on Labour's progressive left as the founder of the pressure group Compass, Lawson has also been a leading figure in the fairly new organisation Mainstream, which has generally been seen as Burnham-aligned.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

However, more than 400 are still behind bars, according to pressure group Foro Penal.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

A Madrid-based pressure group, Safeguard Defenders, has counted more than 100 overseas Chinese police stations and linked some of them to extrajudicial efforts by Beijing to pressure its opponents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

Mda believed the Youth League should function as an internal pressure group, a militant nationalistic wing within the ANC as a whole that would propel the organization into a new era.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• interest group
• political action committee