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

To get the financial relief that farmers were seeking, three key things had to change with the H-2A program, the lawyers and lobbyists told the farmers at the conference. — Max Blau, ProPublica, 22 July 2026

In the meantime, Rodríguez has been solidifying her influence in Washington—hiring a lobbyist and cultivating people who might benefit from stalling a transition. — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

My dad was the lobbyist for the state telephone company who worked with the Maryland legislature in the 1960s through the ’80s. — Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

The lobbyists from the big AI labs will keep saying that the only path to safe AGI is through them. — Christian Catalini, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lobbyist

• hobbyist