special interest

noun

: a person or group seeking to influence legislative or government policy to further often narrowly defined interests

especially : lobby

Synonyms of special interest

• interest
• interest group

Examples of special interest in a Sentence

promised that as governor he would never be beholden to special interests

Recent Examples on the Web

The incumbent who has sought and accepted millions in special interest campaign donations strained to paint Bronin as a tool of billionaires. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026

Aside from the board president race, most special interest groups have held off from making major contributions. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

To be classified as a special interest vehicle, a car must be unaltered from the way it was originally manufactured and preserved as a leisure pursuit, per current law. — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026

In typical Baltimore County Council fashion, most of those exemptions resulted from individual council members doing the bidding of special interests without regard to the public interest. — David Plymyer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for special interest

• noninterest