lobby

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈlɒb.i/ (General American, dialects of Canada) IPA(key): /ˈlɑ.bi/ (Canada, dialects of the US) IPA(key): /ˈlɒb.i/ (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈlɔb.i/, /ˈlɒb.i/ Rhymes: -ɒbi === Etymology 1 === From Medieval Latin lobia, lobium, laubia (“a portico, covered way, gallery”), borrowed from Frankish *laubijā (“arbour, shelter”), related to Old English lēaf (“foliage”). More at leaf. Doublet of leaf, lodge, and loggia. Political sense derives from the entrance hall of legislatures, where people traditionally tried to influence legislators because it was the most convenient place to meet them. ==== Noun ==== lobby (plural lobbies) An entryway or reception area; vestibule; passageway; corridor. That part of a hall of legislation not appropriated to the official use of the assembly. (politics) A class or group of interested people who try to influence public officials; collectively, lobbyists. Near-synonym: special interest (videoconferencing) A virtual area where meeting attendees can await admittance from an authorized person. (video games) A virtual area where players can chat and find opponents for a game. (nautical) An apartment or passageway in the fore part of an old-fashioned cabin under the quarter-deck. A confined place for cattle, formed by hedges, trees, or other fencing, near the farmyard. Near-synonyms: cowyard, paddock A margin along either side of the playing field in the sport of kabaddi. A waiting area in front of a bank of elevators. 2005, Charles R. "Butch" Farabee Jr., Death, Daring, and Disaster (page 135) Ranger Leslie Thompson, assigned to elevator duty, brought the elevator to the surface about 12:30 to bring down the tourists who were in the lobby of the elevator tower at that time. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== lobby (third-person singular simple present lobbies, present participle lobbying, simple past and past participle lobbied) (intransitive, transitive) To attempt to influence (a public official or decision-maker) in favor of a specific opinion or cause. 2002, Jim Hightower, in Wikiquote The corporations don't have to lobby the government anymore. They are the government. 2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1): Allen Gregory DeLongpre: Yeah, it's not a big deal. I lobbied for fuel-cell technology on Capitol Hill. I'm friends with Sandy Bullock, really good friends. Who cares? It's not a pissing contest, right, J? ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== lobbying lobbyist ===== Descendants ===== → Dutch: lobbyen ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === Shortened from lobscouse. ==== Noun ==== lobby (uncountable) (West Midlands, Potteries) lobscouse === Further reading === “lobby”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “lobby”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “lobby”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. == Dutch == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈlɔ.bi/ Hyphenation: lob‧by Rhymes: -ɔbi === Etymology 1 === Borrowed from English lobby. ==== Noun ==== lobby f (plural lobby's, diminutive lobby'tje n) lobby (entryway or reception area) (politics) lobby (class or group of interested people who try to influence public officials) (politics) act of lobbying ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== === Etymology 2 === See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. ==== Verb ==== lobby inflection of lobbyen: first-person singular present indicative (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative imperative === References === van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “lobby”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute Matthias de Vries; Lambert Allard te Winkel (1864), “lobby”, in Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, published 2001 == French == === Etymology === Borrowed from English lobby. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /lɔ.bi/ === Noun === lobby m (plural lobbies or lobbys) lobby (hall) lobby (advocacy group) Synonym: groupe de pression === Further reading === “lobby”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Italian == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English lobby. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈlɔb.bi/ Rhymes: -ɔbbi Hyphenation: lòb‧by === Noun === lobby f (invariable) lobby (group of people; hall of a bank) ==== Derived terms ==== lobbista === Further reading === lobby in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana == Polish == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English lobby. Doublet of lodżia, loggia, and loża. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈlɔb.bɘ/, /ˈlɔb.bi/ Rhymes: -ɔbbɘ, -ɔbbi Syllabification: lob‧by === Noun === lobby n (indeclinable) lobby (entryway; corridor) (politics) lobby (group of people who try to lobby) ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “lobby”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎[2] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN “lobby”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎[3] (in Polish) == Portuguese == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English lobby. === Pronunciation === === Noun === lobby m (plural lobbies) alternative spelling of lóbi === Further reading === “lobby”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “lobby”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English lobby. === Noun === lobby n (uncountable) lobby ==== Declension ==== == Spanish == === Alternative forms === lobi === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English lobby. Doublet of lonja. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈlobi/ [ˈlo.β̞i] Rhymes: -obi === Noun === lobby m (plural lobbies) lobby (group of people who try to influence public officials) Synonyms: grupo de presión, (Latin America) grupo de cabildeo lobby (entryway or reception area) Synonym: vestíbulo ==== Usage notes ==== According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === References === === Further reading === “lobby”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 == Swedish == === Etymology === Borrowed from English lobby. === Noun === lobby c a lobby (entryway or reception area) (politics) a lobby ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === References === “lobby”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish) “lobby”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)