lobbyist

noun

lob·​by·​ist ˈlä-bē-ist 

plural lobbyists

: one who conducts activities aimed at influencing or swaying public officials and especially members of a legislative body on legislation : a person engaged in lobbying public officials

The new rule says that if you were a registered lobbyist in the past two years, you can't work for the administration on any issue you touched. After you leave government, you can't lobby the administration at all.

—Jacob Weisberg

Because so many lobbyists have past experience on Capitol Hill, they usually have personal ties both to members of congress and to their key staffers, who vet and prioritize the earmark requests.

—Ken Silverstein

Examples of lobbyist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Big Changes There were constituents and lobbyists lined up on each side, but as the sausage was being made, the excise tax morphed materially. —Robert W. Wood, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025

And the possibility of Casey DeSantis challenging him in a Republican primary is beginning to fade, according to lobbyists and consultants, Herald reporter Siena Duncan wrote. —Miami Herald, 3 July 2025

Though his opinion is not legally binding, the lack of clarity has stalled the hemp industry, said Justin Swanson, a lobbyist and president of the Midwest Hemp Council. —Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

Multiple groups tried to strip away key protections from Louisville’s ordinance in the weeks and months before its passage, The Courier Journal previously reported based on emails between lobbyists and Metro Council members. —Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lobbyist

• hobbyist