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 We would not be distracted by special interest agendas or issues that did not improve the outcomes of our students. Madeleine Parrish, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024 The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Tim Lammers, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024 Lately, instead of listening to residents, the council has been interested in hearing from lobbyists and special interest groups on city matters, Wang said. Stephanie Lam, The Mercury News, 15 Sep. 2024 At 72, Martell has long seen how lawmakers and special interest groups create hardships for Indigenous people. Christopher Lomahquahu and Eshaan Sarup, USA TODAY, 15 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for special interest 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'special interest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near special interest

Cite this Entry

“Special interest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/special%20interest. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!