noun
lobby
LOB-ee
noun
1
An entrance hall or waiting area in a building.
"We arranged to meet in the hotel lobby at noon."
"The lobby was decorated with marble floors and a grand chandelier."
2
A group of people who try to influence lawmakers or public officials on a particular issue.
"The oil lobby spent millions opposing the new regulations."
verb
1
To try to persuade a public official or decision-maker to support a particular cause.
"Environmental groups lobbied Congress to pass stricter emissions laws."
"She lobbied hard for better funding for local schools."
How to Use Lobby
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA building's entrance hall, an interest group that pressures politicians, or the act of pressuring them.
Common pairings
hotel lobby
the gun lobby
lobby for change
lobby Congress
Word Forms
lobbied past tense, lobbies plural, lobbies singular
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We arranged to meet in the hotel _____ at noon.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin lobia, "a covered walkway or gallery" — the political sense grew from people gathering in the entrance hall of a legislature to buttonhole lawmakers.