lobbyist

noun

lob·​by·​ist ˈlä-bē-ist 

plural lobbyists

: one who conducts activities aimed at influencing or swaying public officials and especially members of a legislative body on legislation : a person engaged in lobbying public officials

The new rule says that if you were a registered lobbyist in the past two years, you can't work for the administration on any issue you touched. After you leave government, you can't lobby the administration at all.

—Jacob Weisberg

Because so many lobbyists have past experience on Capitol Hill, they usually have personal ties both to members of congress and to their key staffers, who vet and prioritize the earmark requests.

—Ken Silverstein

Examples of lobbyist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cabrera, a former lobbyist, won the seat in 2022 after securing the endorsement of President Donald Trump, then two years out of office from his first presidential term. —Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025

The only people who seem to have a problem with this bill are lobbyists for social media companies, and Gov. Jared Polis. —Aaron Ping, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2025

Rinnai has spent $375,000 on Washington lobbyists since 2023, according to disclosure reports. —Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2025

DeSantis enraged Insurance lobbyists aren’t the only ones Perez is ticking off. —Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lobbyist

• hobbyist