filibuster

1 of 2

noun

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

[filibuster entry 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.

filibuster

2 of 2

verb

filibustered; filibustering ˈfi-lə-ˌbə-st(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to carry out insurrectionist activities in a foreign country

2

: to engage in a filibuster

transitive verb

: to subject to a filibuster

filibusterer

ˈfi-lə-ˌbə-stər-ər 

noun

Examples of filibuster in a Sentence

Noun

They engaged in a filibuster that lasted for over a week.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Senate Democrats are largely lining up behind Biden's package, but at least some Senate Republicans will have to back the final product to eventually green light the aid since 60 votes are needed to clear the Senate filibuster. —Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2023

To be sure, the Senate filibuster means that Democrats wouldn’t be able to extract any significant legislation with a new Republican speaker. —Matt Ford, The New Republic, 5 Oct. 2023

Rules like the filibuster and Unanimous Consent Agreements can force more moderate senators to work together to reach a kind of consensus. —Charles R. Hunt, The Conversation, 4 Oct. 2023

Holds are less formal than filibusters, the longest of which happened in 1964 over the Civil Rights Act and lasted 60 days. —Lee Roop | [e-mail], al, 25 July 2023

Johnson’s labor bill cleared the House but was stopped in the Senate by a filibuster led by Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois, the Republican minority leader often remembered warmly as a conservative friend of civil rights. —Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 13 Sep. 2023

The vote came after a four-and-a-half hour filibuster that ended when the Senate approved a petition for cloture, or to end the debate. —Mike Cason | [e-mail], al, 24 May 2023

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 | [e-mail], 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

Verb

As long as Republicans can filibuster such mid-session committee membership changes, the Democrats are stymied. —Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 27 Apr. 2023

Normally senators are assigned to committees by unanimous consent, but that motion can be filibustered. —Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2023

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 | [e-mail], 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

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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

• anti-filibuster

• anti-filibuster

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

filibusterer

-tər-ər 

noun

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

intransitive verb

: to engage in a filibuster

transitive verb

: to subject to a filibuster