special interest

noun

: a person or group seeking to influence legislative or government policy to further often narrowly defined interests
especially : lobby

Examples of special interest in a Sentence

promised that as governor he would never be beholden to special interests
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The California Legislature is poised to welcome one of its largest freshman classes in more than a decade, and special interest groups are spending millions on Democrat-versus-Democrat races in the November election to help decide which newcomer voters will send to Sacramento. Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024 Of special interest to the Harris campaign may be where those Fox News viewers were watching on Wednesday. Mark Joyella, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024 When bad things happen, when the system seems weak, corrupt, absurd, captured by special interests, or plain unjust, people will actively seek alternatives. Vuk Vukovic, TIME, 10 Oct. 2024 And none of this will be addressed by a corrupt council that’s paid for by developers, the apartment association Disney, and Anaheim’s other wealthy special interests. Michael Slaten, Orange County Register, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for special interest 

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of special interest was in 1906

Dictionary Entries Near special interest

Cite this Entry

“Special interest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/special%20interest. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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