as in interests
a group of people with a common identifying interest that they seek to protect and promote
observed that if publishers gave in to every pressure group, nothing would ever get published
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pressure groups
At the same time, pressure groups worked hard to get younger, more YIMBY legislators elected.
—
Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
Nearly 72% of censorship attempts in 2024 were initiated by pressure groups and decision makers who have been swayed by them.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
Nearly 72% of censorship attempts in 2024 were initiated by pressure groups and decision makers who have been swayed by them.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pressure groups
Noun
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That critique of American foreign policy – that US high-mindedness and democratic idealism conceal naked corporate interests – persisted through the Cold War and into the 21st Century.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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Health care, housing, and education would be built to be affordable, driven by real results from the bottom up--not by party interests trickling down.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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At the regulation’s first hearing in November, more than three dozen public interest groups opposed the rules, while the insurance industry supported the rules.—
Pat Maio,
Daily News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Otherwise politicians and interest groups will continue to demand tax increases as tax dollars disappear into pockets that may include their own.—
Susan Shelley,
Oc Register,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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After watching the state’s once nation-leading public records system buckle under political pressure, special interests, stonewalling and outright abuse, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has finally had enough.—
Bobby Block,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2026
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And many of the costs can be traced back to labor union special interests.—
LyLena D. Estabine,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pressure groups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pressure%20groups. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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