lobbyist

noun

lob·​by·​ist ˈlä-bē-ist How to pronounce lobbyist (audio)
plural lobbyists
: one who conducts activities aimed at influencing or swaying public officials and especially members of a legislative body on legislation : a person engaged in lobbying public officials
The new rule says that if you were a registered lobbyist in the past two years, you can't work for the administration on any issue you touched. After you leave government, you can't lobby the administration at all.Jacob Weisberg
Because so many lobbyists have past experience on Capitol Hill, they usually have personal ties both to members of congress and to their key staffers, who vet and prioritize the earmark requests.Ken Silverstein

Examples of lobbyist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That goal is also the impetus behind Senate Bill 19, legislation that would prohibit taxpayer dollars from being used to pay for contract lobbyists. Patrick Gleason, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025 Confidential finds a powerful political lobbyist shot to death, his apparent suicide highlighting a bizarre turn in Ohio’s largest public corruption case accidentaly uncovered by federal investigators that was nearly concealed by loose super PAC campaign financing rules. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2025 And millions more on lobbyists to codify it into federal law. Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2025 His sarcasm is well-placed: Whatever is discussed between business leaders and the governor using these phones will be shielded from the public, says a McGeorge School of Law adjunct professor who has worked as a lobbyist in the California Capitol. The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lobbyist

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lobbyist was in 1842

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lobbyist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lobbyist. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on lobbyist

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!