Dictionary Home » Dictionary Definitions » lobby

lobby

Listen See in Thesaurus See in a sentence

The definition of a lobby is a central hall at the entrance to a building or a large waiting room.

(noun)

An example of a lobby is the reception area in a large business office.

To lobby is defined as to try to influence a public official in favor of something, or to try to get a law passed.

(verb)

An example of to lobby is an oil company sending representatives to Congress to express their opinion about why a law should or should not be passed.

See lobby in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun pl. lobbies

a hall or large anteroom, as a waiting room or vestibule of an apartment house, hotel, theater, etc.
a large hall adjacent to the assembly hall of a legislature and open to the public
☆ a group of lobbyists representing the same special interest: the oil lobby

Origin: LL lobia: see lodge

intransitive verb lobbied, lobbying

to act as a lobbyist
to attempt to influence a public official in favor of something: often with for

Origin: after the practice of meeting with legislators in the lobby ()

transitive verb

to attempt to influence (a public official) by acting as a lobbyist
to attempt to influence the passage of (a measure) by acting as a lobbyist

See lobby in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. lob·bies

A hall, foyer, or waiting room at or near the entrance to a building, such as a hotel or theater.
A public room next to the assembly chamber of a legislative body.
A group of persons engaged in trying to influence legislators or other public officials in favor of a specific cause: the banking lobby; the labor lobby.

verb lob·bied, lob·by·ing, lob·bies

verb, intransitive

To try to influence the thinking of legislators or other public officials for or against a specific cause: lobbying for stronger environmental safeguards; lobbied against the proliferation of nuclear arms.

verb, transitive

To try to influence public officials on behalf of or against (proposed legislation, for example): lobbied the bill through Congress; lobbied the bill to a negative vote.
To try to influence (an official) to take a desired action.

Origin:

Origin: Medieval Latin lobia, monastic cloister

Origin: , of Germanic origin

Related Forms: