as in interest
a group of people with a common identifying interest that they seek to protect and promote
promised that as governor he would never be beholden to special interests
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of special interest
In classrooms across the country, America’s children were watching this latest of many shuttle flights with special interest.
—
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Every special interest in California.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026
For years, Congress set tariff rates item by item, and the debates over each line were susceptible to capture by special interests.
—Inu Manak, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for special interest
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Every special interest in California.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026
For years, Congress set tariff rates item by item, and the debates over each line were susceptible to capture by special interests.
—Inu Manak, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for special interest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for special interest
Noun
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While the project is framed as a civilian innovation, the timing and capabilities have sparked wider interest in what such systems could become.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
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Delta previously discontinued the JFK–Orange County route due to airport capacity constraints, but its return signals renewed interest in premium domestic travel.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This is nothing more than a jobs-protection racket that will raise costs and reduce consumer convenience on behalf of a special-interest group.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
28 Jan. 2026
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Those who might be displaced or de-skilled by the advancing tech wave will fight in the office with passive aggression, in the media with poisonous leaks delivered at just the worst time, and in legislatures through the voting power of the bureaucrats, teachers’ unions, and other interest groups.—
Walter Russell Mead,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Special interest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/special%20interest. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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