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

One measure passed unanimously in the Senate but died in the House after industry lobbyists voiced strong opposition. —Jenna Carlesso, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026

Democrats viewed undocumented immigrants as a huge pool of future voters while corporations and lobbyists supporting Republicans wanted cheap labor for industries where outsourcing was not an option. —Doug McIntyre, Oc Register, 8 Mar. 2026

The office has arguably the most interaction with the public of any at the state level, providing a host of services that include driver’s licenses and testing and other state IDs, registrations for vehicles, lobbyists, businesses and other services. —Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026

Anderson was also a prolific fundraiser for Newsom and hosted the wedding of Jason Kinney, a lobbyist and friend of the governor, according to previous Bee reporting. —Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lobbyist

• hobbyist