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

David Rubenstein had left the Carter White House and, finding life as a lobbyist humiliating, teamed up with Bill Conway, a former executive at telecom giant MCI, and Daniel D’Aniello, a dealmaker at Marriott, to launch a buyout firm. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026

The wealthy and corporations virtually control Congress through campaign donations and lobbyists and use their power to maintain the status quo. — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026

The filing says they are believed to be lobbyists, donors, consultants or officials. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2026

The letter points to a Wall Street Journal report that Taylor Farms lobbyists engaged with the White House to ask for more time and more proof before federal agencies implicated the company in the outbreak. — Elizabeth Schulze, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lobbyist

• hobbyist