pressure group

Definition of pressure group

: an interest group organized to influence public and especially government policy but not to elect candidates to office

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Examples of pressure group in a Sentence

a pressure group trying to reduce taxes observed that if publishers gave in to every pressure group, nothing would ever get published

Recent Examples on the Web But pressure groups pushing for a ban have gathered support from mostly liberal lawmakers. — The Economist, "A Californian bill would make it harder to control the state’s thriving rats," 21 Nov. 2019 According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, a pressure group, the proportion of women in senior positions in EU governments has crept up from 25% in 2009 to 30% this September. — The Economist, "Finland’s new prime minister is the world’s youngest," 11 Dec. 2019 To cope with these problems, the citizens have continued to elect weak city governments, all built on compromise and deals with competing pressure groups. — Carl Nolte, SFChronicle.com, "It’s true — San Francisco is a mess. And everyone knows it," 8 June 2019 The final five points are based on CSR scores from JUST Capital, a pressure group. — The Economist, "Socially liberal companies really do contribute more to Democrats," 29 Aug. 2019 In any case, as soon as a UBI became law, pressure groups would call for expanded benefits. — Matthew Continetti, National Review, "A UBI Would Undermine Work," 25 July 2019 Some conservative pressure groups derided the policy trade as a sellout while liberals complained that ending the ban would serve Big Oil. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "The Oil Export Boom," 30 Aug. 2018 And even in Pyongyang, Western and South Korean pressure groups attest, the deadening totalitarian system is as intrusive as ever. — The Economist, "What life is like for ordinary North Koreans," 26 May 2018 There is also the vested interest that pressure groups have in selling bad news in exchange for donations. — Matt Ridley, WSJ, "Why Is It So Cool to Be Gloomy?," 15 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pressure group.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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pressure gradient

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Last Updated

5 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Pressure group.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pressure%20group. Accessed 19 January 2020.

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