special interest
noun
: a person or group seeking to influence legislative or government policy to further often narrowly defined interests
especially
: lobby
Example Sentences
promised that as governor he would never be beholden to special interests
Recent Examples on the Web
When selected based on a personal hobby or special interest, a coffee-table book is sure to delight anyone on your list.
—
Madeline Fass, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2022
The former is of special interest, as he’s rumored to be playing a character who is supposed to be top secret.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 28 Nov. 2022
There are spring break camps and special interest classes for youths and adults age 50 and older.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2023
The launch of the Macintosh Classic was responsible for kickstarting a desktop publishing industry that saw the launch of countless special interest magazines that previously could only have been published by major conglomerates.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2023
The company is also offering special interest rates for buyers.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2023
Another top special interest donor is First Liberty Institute, a conservative nonprofit that also frequently litigates religious liberty cases before the justices.
—Julie Tate, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2022
However, special interest campaign mailers, funded by a housing PAC with major funding from the California realtors association and the California Apartment association have produced a flyer showing the candidate with antiabortion comments.
—Katie Licari, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2022
Women’s Fund of Central Indiana is a special interest fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation.
—Rory Appleton, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Oct. 2022
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Madeline Fass, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2022
The former is of special interest, as he’s rumored to be playing a character who is supposed to be top secret.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 28 Nov. 2022
There are spring break camps and special interest classes for youths and adults age 50 and older.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2023
The launch of the Macintosh Classic was responsible for kickstarting a desktop publishing industry that saw the launch of countless special interest magazines that previously could only have been published by major conglomerates.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2023
The company is also offering special interest rates for buyers.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2023
Another top special interest donor is First Liberty Institute, a conservative nonprofit that also frequently litigates religious liberty cases before the justices.
—Julie Tate, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2022
However, special interest campaign mailers, funded by a housing PAC with major funding from the California realtors association and the California Apartment association have produced a flyer showing the candidate with antiabortion comments.
—Katie Licari, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2022
Women’s Fund of Central Indiana is a special interest fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation.
—Rory Appleton, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Oct. 2022
See More
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
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 3 Jun. 2023.
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