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

When success is no longer about who has the best product, but who has the best connections or the most aggressive lobbyists, the organism begins to decay from within. —Nitin Gupta, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Officials at the Air Resources Board then spent the last several months drafting and revising the plan voted on this week, which received considerable feedback from oil and gas companies, environmental groups, lobbyists and lawmakers all jockeying for different priorities. —Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026

Until that happens, the lobbyists are still winning. —Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026

And their ranks are sure to grow, said Matt McDonald, the group’s co-founder, a lifelong A’s fan and lobbyist for the California Apartment Association. —Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lobbyist

• hobbyist