Meaning & use
lobbied
Last updated
“lobbied” is a form of “lobby”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
Past tense of lobby: tried to persuade a politician or official to support a particular cause or law.
Grammar: Can take an object (lobbied Congress) or be used without one (lobbied for change).
Patterns
- lobbied for something
- lobbied against something
- lobbied someone
- lobbied to do something
The group lobbied Congress to pass the new environmental bill.
She lobbied for stricter gun controls.
They lobbied against the proposed tax increase.
verbtransitive or intransitiveinformal
Past tense of lobby: asked someone in authority repeatedly for a favor or decision.
Grammar: Often followed by 'for': lobbied for a raise.
Patterns
- lobbied for something
- lobbied someone for something
He lobbied his boss for extra vacation days.
The employees lobbied for better working conditions.
She lobbied the committee for more funding.
Word forms
| base form | lobby |
|---|---|
| third person singular | lobbies |
| present participle | lobbying |
| past participle | lobbied |
Common combinations
- lobbied hard
- The industry lobbied hard to block the new regulations.
- lobbied for change
- Citizens lobbied for change in the voting system.
- lobbied against a bill
- Several groups lobbied against the health care bill.
- lobbied successfully
- They lobbied successfully for a new park.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pressured
- More general and can imply force; 'lobbied' is specifically about trying to influence decisions, often in politics.
- campaign
- Often involves a broader public effort; 'lobbied' focuses on direct persuasion of officials.
Word family
Commonly confused: lobbied or lobbied?
lobbied vs lobbied
Not to be confused with 'lobbed', which means threw something in a high arc.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'lobbied' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Lobbied' means tried to influence officials, so 'lobbied for stricter laws' fits. Option 1 confuses it with 'lobbed' (threw); option 2 uses 'lobby' as a place, not a verb; option 3 is nonsensical because a lobby (place) cannot lobby.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lobbied”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.