pressure group

noun

: an interest group organized to influence public and especially government policy but not to elect candidates to office

Examples of pressure group in a Sentence

a pressure group trying to reduce taxes observed that if publishers gave in to every pressure group, nothing would ever get published
Recent Examples on the Web In reality, revenue generated by these taxes disappears into the black hole of the general budget and goes to whatever pressure group has the most influence at city hall. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024 The ambivalence was best reflected in, of all places, the response of the National Legion of Decency, the powerful Roman Catholic pressure group that had kept Hollywood in line since 1934. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 Lear produced many more shows; ran a liberal pressure group, People for the American Way; and, admirably, owned and exhibited an early printing of the Declaration of Independence. Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 After months of discussion and debate among politicians, pundits, and pressure groups worldwide, a group of legislators was finally taking regulatory steps to address the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2023 This puts it in a similar category as pressure groups like CAMERA and HonestReporting, which also parse media coverage from the vantage point of a particular agenda. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2023 There are those, such as the anti-royalist pressure group Republic, who believe Charles’ contradictions and complexities will eventually herald the end of this millennia-old institution. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 3 May 2023 Yesterday, the European Parliament’s civil liberties committee grilled Commissioner Ylva Johansson on reports that her proposal resulted from improper lobbying by American and British pressure groups. Bydavid Meyer, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2023 All the while, the automobile industry and allied pressure groups waged a fierce campaign to give drivers unrivaled precedence on the roads. Jack McCordick, The New Republic, 13 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pressure group.' 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

1924, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pressure group was in 1924

Dictionary Entries Near pressure group

Cite this Entry

“Pressure group.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pressure%20group. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on pressure group

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!