fil·i·bus·ter
ˈfi-lə-ˌbə-stər 
1
: an irregular military adventurer
specifically
: an American engaged in fomenting insurrections in Latin America in the mid-19th century
2
a
: the use of extreme dilatory (see dilatory sense 1) tactics (as by making long speeches) in an attempt to delay or prevent action especially in a legislative assembly
b
: an instance of this practice
The filibuster delayed the voting on the bill for over a week.
filibustered; filibustering
ˈfi-lə-ˌbə-st(ə-)riŋ
1
: to carry out insurrectionist activities in a foreign country
2
: to engage in a filibuster
: to subject to a filibuster
Examples of filibuster in a Sentence
Noun
They engaged in a filibuster that lasted for over a week.
Recent Examples on the Web
Matt Stahl | Mstahl@al.com, al, 20 July 2023
With the House now controlled by Republicans and with Senate Democrats well short of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster, the legislation is most likely dead on arrival in Washington.
—Sheryl Gay Stolberg, BostonGlobe.com, 17 June 2023
The partisan cast of the controversy over Crow’s gifts and the increasingly common use of filibusters to thwart Senate action appears to be emboldening Crow and his advisers, Kelner said.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas News, 16 June 2023
Even during the first half of his presidency, the filibuster prevented him from moving legislation through that wasn’t budget-oriented.
—Brynn Tannehill, The New Republic, 14 Aug. 2023
The Senate avoided a filibuster and the passage of any amendments to get the bill across the finish line before the weekend.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 1 June 2023
The bill would likely need support from at least 60 senators to dodge a filibuster and make it to President Biden’s desk.
—Erin B. Logan, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2023
Manchin was a co-sponsor of the original Freedom to Vote Act and led the unsuccessful effort to convince enough Republicans to sign onto the bill to avoid a filibuster, and is co-sponsoring the bill again this Congress.
—Grace Segers, The New Republic, 18 July 2023
The measure, which would be subject to a filibuster in the full Senate, is considered unlikely to pass.
—Chris Megerian, Eric Tucker, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2023
Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 30 July 2023
The bill’s lead Republican sponsor, Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, is optimistic about its prospects — but as of now there’s a decent chance it could get filibustered on the floor without significant changes, according to interviews with a dozen senators.
—cleveland, 17 July 2023
The filibustering, formally one of the Dodgers’ allotted five mound visits for the game, proved effective.
—Jorge Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2023
With that 28-word quote, Smart out-talked the filibustering Drinkwitz by 671 words.
—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 20 July 2023
There’s crude humor, filibustering, and wildly off-base red herrings.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 7 June 2023
The women filibustered, taking the gifts to the podium on the Senate floor to declare themselves even more firmly in resistance.
—Kate Zernike, New York Times, 7 May 2023
When the GOP House passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (which Senate Democrats filibustered), ...
—John McCormack, National Review, 21 Apr. 2023
Republicans were filibustering on the two measures, so the Democratic majority voted in the middle of the debate to enact a rule that would limit debate on any bill to just one hour.
—Chuck Todd, NBC News, 14 Apr. 2023
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Noun
Most effective use of filibuster– Eli Drinkwitz Missouri’s head coach has a tendency to put his foot in his mouth when faced with a microphone.
—Matt Stahl | Mstahl@al.com, al, 20 July 2023
With the House now controlled by Republicans and with Senate Democrats well short of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster, the legislation is most likely dead on arrival in Washington.
—Sheryl Gay Stolberg, BostonGlobe.com, 17 June 2023
The partisan cast of the controversy over Crow’s gifts and the increasingly common use of filibusters to thwart Senate action appears to be emboldening Crow and his advisers, Kelner said.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas News, 16 June 2023
Even during the first half of his presidency, the filibuster prevented him from moving legislation through that wasn’t budget-oriented.
—Brynn Tannehill, The New Republic, 14 Aug. 2023
The Senate avoided a filibuster and the passage of any amendments to get the bill across the finish line before the weekend.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 1 June 2023
The bill would likely need support from at least 60 senators to dodge a filibuster and make it to President Biden’s desk.
—Erin B. Logan, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2023
Manchin was a co-sponsor of the original Freedom to Vote Act and led the unsuccessful effort to convince enough Republicans to sign onto the bill to avoid a filibuster, and is co-sponsoring the bill again this Congress.
—Grace Segers, The New Republic, 18 July 2023
The measure, which would be subject to a filibuster in the full Senate, is considered unlikely to pass.
—Chris Megerian, Eric Tucker, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2023
Verb
There was a series of chaotic and crowded meetings stretching over two weeks, filled with angry outbursts and arrests, as opposition rallied in attempt to filibuster the proposal.
—Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 30 July 2023
The bill’s lead Republican sponsor, Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, is optimistic about its prospects — but as of now there’s a decent chance it could get filibustered on the floor without significant changes, according to interviews with a dozen senators.
—cleveland, 17 July 2023
The filibustering, formally one of the Dodgers’ allotted five mound visits for the game, proved effective.
—Jorge Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2023
With that 28-word quote, Smart out-talked the filibustering Drinkwitz by 671 words.
—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 20 July 2023
There’s crude humor, filibustering, and wildly off-base red herrings.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 7 June 2023
The women filibustered, taking the gifts to the podium on the Senate floor to declare themselves even more firmly in resistance.
—Kate Zernike, New York Times, 7 May 2023
When the GOP House passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (which Senate Democrats filibustered), ...
—John McCormack, National Review, 21 Apr. 2023
Republicans were filibustering on the two measures, so the Democratic majority voted in the middle of the debate to enact a rule that would limit debate on any bill to just one hour.
—Chuck Todd, NBC News, 14 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'filibuster.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Spanish filibustero, literally, freebooter
First Known Use
Noun
1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1851, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Phrases Containing filibuster
Dictionary Entries Near filibuster
Cite this Entry
“Filibuster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/filibuster. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
filibuster
1 of 2 noun
fil·i·bus·ter
ˈfil-ə-ˌbəs-tər
: the use of delaying tactics (as long speeches) to put off or prevent action especially in a legislative assembly
also
: an instance of this practice
filibuster
2 of 2 verb
filibustered; filibustering
-t(ə-)riŋ
: to engage in a filibuster
Etymology
Noun
from Spanish filibustero, literally, "freebooter," probably derived from English freebooter
Word Origin
One Dutch word has given us two different English words. The Dutch word vrijbuiter referred to a pirate or plunderer. The English borrowed this word in the 16th century, translating it as freebooter. The word was later picked up by the Spanish, who kept the same meaning but altered it to filibustero. Both words stayed in the realm of history until the middle of the 19th century. Then soldiers of fortune went out from the U.S. to try to cause uprisings in Central American countries. The governments there accused these Americans of wanting personal gain more than justice and called them filibusteros. English-speaking journalists wrote this word as filibuster, making it sound more like an English word. Later in the 19th century, members of Congress who delayed passage of laws by means such as long speeches were compared to the adventurers of Central America, who were trying to overthrow legitimate rule. Filibuster then came to mean "the use of delaying tactics to put off or prevent the passage of laws."
Legal Definition
filibuster
1 of 2 noun
fil·i·bus·ter
ˈfi-lə-ˌbəs-tər
: the use of extreme dilatory tactics in an attempt to delay or prevent action especially in a legislative assembly
also
: an instance of this practice
filibuster
2 of 2 verb
filibustered; filibustering
: to engage in a filibuster
: to subject to a filibuster
More from Merriam-Webster on filibuster
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for filibuster
Nglish: Translation of filibuster for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about filibuster
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