special interest

noun

: a person or group seeking to influence legislative or government policy to further often narrowly defined interests
especially : lobby

Examples of special interest in a Sentence

promised that as governor he would never be beholden to special interests
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In some cases, local governments will go to all the effort of crafting the measure and then conveniently decide not to go forward, only for a special interest group to then take the measure to the ballot and qualify it at the lower voter threshold. Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025 This race is about who will put people over politics and special interest. Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Oct. 2025 Politicians and special interest groups on both sides of the ideological divide fuel the fire by leveraging school board battles to energize voters and galvanize their base. Scott Levy, Time, 8 Oct. 2025 In addition to large sums donated to campaign accounts, groups with a special interest in California policy can also provide gifts to lawmakers and fly them to conferences or to learn about policies of other countries. Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for special interest

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of special interest was in 1906

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Special interest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/special%20interest. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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