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

The disclosures don’t specify what the lobbyists were advocating for or against. — Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

Indeed, tribal groups and some traditional sportsbook operators have spent millions of dollars this year on lobbyists in an effort to stymie the rise of prediction markets—though the flow of money goes both ways. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 6 Aug. 2026

The legal showdown, in which the DA has teamed up with lobbyists, will test the government’s stability. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Kelly is a veteran lobbyist whose client list has included former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and other powerful names. — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lobbyist

• hobbyist