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

Three dozen lobbyists, including those representing the Colorado Hospital Association, the Colorado Bankers Association and various chambers of commerce, have registered outright opposition. —Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2026

For decades, legislative leaders called upon both senior administrators to train new staff, new legislators and lobbyists, a job for which Keane was perfect. —Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026

The lawyers plan to question her and other Ballard lobbyists about their work to expand Gorrin’s Venezuelan TV station onto AT&T and Comcast broadcast platforms in the United States. —Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2026

Given those trends, some nutrition experts viewed the new guidelines as a victory for alcohol industry lobbyists. —Aria Bendix, NBC news, 24 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lobbyist

• hobbyist