lobby

1 of 2

noun

lob·​by ˈlä-bē 

plural lobbies

1

: a corridor or hall connected with a larger room or series of rooms and used as a passageway or waiting room: such as

a

: an anteroom of a legislative chamber

especially : one of two anterooms of a British parliamentary chamber to which members go to vote during a division

b

: a large hall serving as a foyer (as of a hotel or theater)

2

: a group of persons engaged in lobbying especially as representatives of a particular interest group

the gun lobby

the oil lobby

lobby

2 of 2

verb

lobbied; lobbying

intransitive verb

: to conduct activities aimed at influencing public officials and especially members of a legislative body on legislation

transitive verb

1

: to promote (something, such as a project) or secure the passage of (legislation) by influencing public officials

lobby a bill through Congress

2

: to attempt to influence or sway (someone, such as a public official) toward a desired action

lobbying senators for tax reform

lobbyer noun

lobbyism

ˈlä-bē-ˌi-zəm 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• foyer
• hall

Examples of lobby in a Sentence

Noun

I'll meet you in the lobby after the show.

The proposed new law is supported by the oil lobby.

Verb

an organization that has been lobbying for reform of the tax laws

The health-care industry has lobbied against the proposal.

an organization that has been lobbying Congress for reform of the tax laws

a player who has lobbied hard to be included in the team's starting lineup

I lobbied our company for a new computer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Twenty-seven floors above the hotel lobby, Luka Dončić walks to the table near the floor-length windows, plops down on a chair and, within minutes, is sipping on a double espresso. —Dan Woike, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025

Video circulating on social media showed storm surges shattering the glass doors of the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel, a luxury seaside resort, with huge waves gushing into the lobby and sweeping people off their feet. —Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025

Verb

And here, for the folks that are out there lobbying, these are really big, important issues that affect our business and affect the consumer. —Fortune Editors, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025

Abd El-Fattah is also a British national, and the UK government has been lobbying for his release. —James Folta, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Medieval Latin lobium gallery, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German louba porch

First Known Use

Noun

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1820, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for lobby

• bobbie
• bobby
• hobby
• knobby
• nabi
• nobby
• panjabi
• punjabi
• wahhabi

Kids Definition

lobby

1 of 2 noun

lob·​by ˈläb-ē 

plural lobbies

1

: a hall or entry especially when large enough to serve as a waiting room

a hotel lobby

2

: a group of persons engaged in lobbying

the oil lobby

lobby

2 of 2 verb

lobbied; lobbying

: to try to influence public officials and especially members of a legislative body

lobbyist

ˈläb-ē-əst 

noun

Legal Definition

lobby

1 of 2 noun

lob·​by

plural lobbies

: a group of persons engaged in lobbying especially as representatives of a particular interest group

lobby

2 of 2 verb

lobbied; lobbying

intransitive verb

: to conduct activities aimed at influencing public officials and especially members of a legislative body on legislation

transitive verb

: to attempt to influence or sway (as a public official) toward a desired action

lobbyer noun

lobbyist noun