: opposition to the locating of something considered undesirable (such as a prison or incinerator) in one's neighborhood
Examples of NIMBY in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In California, for example, obstacles to construction include strict local zoning, NIMBY resistance and laws that require builders to pay above-market wages and force landlords to collect below-market rents.
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Salim Furth, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2025
Building anything is hard enough thanks to restrictive zoning and an almost comically intense NIMBY culture.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025
This resistance to larger-scale energy transition projects in the region, along with dismissing resident concerns as mere NIMBY sentiments, has proven unhelpful.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
While this is great, the not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) position is not a long-term solution for our nation’s energy needs and avoids the primary issue.
—Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 4 Dec. 2024
Sturman has an ongoing dialogue with County Commissioner Lamar Fisher, church leaders, health experts, the Salvation Army, United Way and others while navigating legitimate concerns about cleanliness, public safety and a NIMBY mindset.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2024
The report fans the flames in the already-contentious YIMBY v. NIMBY housing debates among lawmakers and the commission; Alvarez backed the report, and co-authors of his bill, AB 2560, have called for Coastal Commission reform as well.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 13 June 2024
Proposals promoting lower density passed at higher rates than high-density projects, but NIMBY impulses hardly seem to run riot.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2024
But building transmission infrastructure is a political minefield that’s faced near-constant opposition from parties including competing power companies, NIMBY landowners, and partisan lawmakers.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 19 May 2024
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Salim Furth, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2025
Building anything is hard enough thanks to restrictive zoning and an almost comically intense NIMBY culture.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025
This resistance to larger-scale energy transition projects in the region, along with dismissing resident concerns as mere NIMBY sentiments, has proven unhelpful.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
While this is great, the not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) position is not a long-term solution for our nation’s energy needs and avoids the primary issue.
—Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 4 Dec. 2024
Sturman has an ongoing dialogue with County Commissioner Lamar Fisher, church leaders, health experts, the Salvation Army, United Way and others while navigating legitimate concerns about cleanliness, public safety and a NIMBY mindset.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2024
The report fans the flames in the already-contentious YIMBY v. NIMBY housing debates among lawmakers and the commission; Alvarez backed the report, and co-authors of his bill, AB 2560, have called for Coastal Commission reform as well.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 13 June 2024
Proposals promoting lower density passed at higher rates than high-density projects, but NIMBY impulses hardly seem to run riot.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2024
But building transmission infrastructure is a political minefield that’s faced near-constant opposition from parties including competing power companies, NIMBY landowners, and partisan lawmakers.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 19 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“NIMBY.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/NIMBY. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
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