filibuster

1 of 2

noun

fil·​i·​bus·​ter ˈfi-lə-ˌbə-stər How to pronounce filibuster (audio)
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 How to pronounce filibuster (audio)

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 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
Both remained opposed to changing the filibuster rule to allow a bill on voting rights to proceed. Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 Any changes enacted in the Missouri House would send the legislation back to the Senate for further debate, almost certainly prompting a Democratic filibuster. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Feb. 2024 The legislation advanced to the U.S. Senate but does not have enough support to survive in case of a filibuster. Tom Krisher, arkansasonline.com, 25 Jan. 2024 The tradition of the filibuster does not explicitly appear in the Constitution, which left it up to the chambers of Congress to determine their rules. The Editors, National Review, 6 Mar. 2024 Republican senators thwarted her bill by using the legislative filibuster that Sinema long defended over the complaints of her Democratic supporters. Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 The actor, who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1992, is campaigning on a platform supporting universal healthcare, raising the minimum wage, climate justice, and removing the filibuster from the Senate, according to his campaign website. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2024 Those ideas are shaky ones and worthy of rebuttal, but here’s a note to Garvey: Neither the filibuster nor the size of the court is even mentioned in the Constitution. Jim Newton, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2024 So that means the Senate can’t vote to break the second filibuster until Sunday. Chad Pergram, Fox News, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
The grandfather clause and the expiration date in the gender-affirming care ban were viewed as concessions to Democrats, who had spent hours filibustering against the bill. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 Republican control of the House and the GOP’s ability to filibuster in the Senate mean these ideas have virtually no chance of passing Congress this year. Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 In the days since Smirnov’s arrest on charges of lying to the government, House G.O.P. leaders have deflected, filibustered, and otherwise obfuscated about the whole affair. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2024 Harding also backed an anti-lynching law that southern Democrats filibustered in the Senate. Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 6 Feb. 2024 Both the sunset clause and the expiration date were concessions to Democrats, who spent hours filibustering the bill last year. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 18 Jan. 2024 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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of filibuster was in 1851

Dictionary Entries Near filibuster

Cite this Entry

“Filibuster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/filibuster. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

filibuster

1 of 2 noun
fil·​i·​bus·​ter ˈfil-ə-ˌbəs-tər How to pronounce filibuster (audio)
: 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 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 How to pronounce filibuster (audio)
: 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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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