Words / B2

LOB-ee-ist/ˈlɒbiɪst/

A lobbyist is paid to influence politicians or officials for a client: a fossil-fuel lobbyist; lobbyist register. Lobby is the verb/noun for that activity (already in the dictionary); activist is unpaid campaigning. Name the lobbyist’s client in the source. Mix-up: hobbyist is someone with a hobby. Do not call a student petition-writer a lobbyist.

Meaning

A person paid to try to influence politicians or officials on behalf of a group.

Examples

• “Name the lobbyist’s client in the source, not only the slogan on the leaflet.”
• “The register listed a lobbyist for the bus firms, which is the official-list sense.”

Good to know

a lobbyist for + group; a lobbyist register. Verb/noun: lobby. Contrast: activist. Trap: hobbyist. Politics, citizenship, and news. Paid influence, not a hobby.

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