lobby
gb/lˈɑbi/ us/lˈɑbi/
B1
English
~ 8200
előcsarnok, lobbi, lobbicsoport, lobbizik, parlamenti folyosó
NOUN
B1
1
előcsarnok
B1
Usage pattern:
in the lobby of [a building]
We agreed to meet in the hotel lobby at 7 p.m.
Megbeszéltük, hogy este 7-kor a szálloda előcsarnokában találkozunk.
The lobby was crowded with guests checking in and out.
Az előcsarnok tele volt be- és kijelentkező vendégekkel.
Please leave your bags in the lobby while we prepare your room.
They decorated the office lobby with plants and modern art.
Security asked visitors to wait in the lobby until their host arrived.
Learner examples
I see you standing in the hotel lobby.
Látlak, ahogy a szálloda előcsarnokában állsz.
Many people sit in the lobby and drink coffee.
Sokan ülnek az előcsarnokban, és kávét isznak.
We walk through the lobby to reach the elevators.
The lobby of this building is very big and bright.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "lobby" with "living room" or "hallway". A lobby is usually in a public building (like a hotel or office), not a private home. It is a large open space, not a long narrow corridor.
Meaning
large entrance area in a building
Collocations
hotel lobby
|office lobby
|busy lobby
|meet in the lobby
|wait in the lobby
|reception lobby
Synonyms
foyer (Similar meaning; slightly more formal and often used for theaters or large houses.)
|
reception (Focuses on the area with a desk where staff greet visitors; not always as large or open as a lobby.)
|
entrance hall (More general term for the space inside the main door of a building or house; can be smaller than a typical lobby.)
Antonyms
room (A separate enclosed room is the opposite of an open shared entrance area like a lobby.)
|
backroom (A hidden or private room away from the public entrance area.)
Themes
daily life
|travel
|places
|housing
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A big open room near the front door of a hotel, office, or other building where people come in, wait, or meet.
A large open area near the main entrance of a hotel, theater, office building, or other public building where people can enter, wait, or meet.
NOUN
B2
2
lobbi
B2
lobbicsoport
C1
Usage pattern:
the [industry/interest] lobby
The tobacco lobby spent millions of dollars trying to block the new regulations.
A dohánylobbi milliókat költött arra, hogy megpróbálja megakadályozni az új szabályozást.
Environmental lobby groups welcomed the government’s climate plan.
A környezetvédelmi lobbicsoportok üdvözölték a kormány klímatervét.
The farmers' lobby has significant influence over agricultural policy.
A powerful business lobby is pushing for lower corporate taxes.
Critics say the gun lobby has too much power in Congress.
Learner examples
The car industry has a strong lobby in this country.
Az autóiparnak erős lobbija van ebben az országban.
The health lobby wants higher taxes on sugar drinks.
Az egészségügyi lobbi magasabb adót akar a cukros italokra.
Some people think the gun lobby is too powerful.
A new lobby is working to protect animal rights.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "lobby" here means a physical place. In this sense, it is a group of people or organizations, not a room. The phrase often appears as "the [X] lobby", such as "the oil lobby" or "the gun lobby".
Meaning
organized group pressuring government
Collocations
powerful lobby
|industry lobby
|environmental lobby
|business lobby
|the gun lobby
|lobby groups
Synonyms
pressure group (Very close in meaning; slightly more formal and often used in political analysis.)
|
interest group (Neutral, technical term in political science; highlights that the group represents a specific interest.)
|
advocacy group (Emphasizes speaking or acting publicly for a cause, not always focused just on government.)
Antonyms
grassroots movement (Often refers to a broad, bottom-up citizen movement rather than a focused, organized lobby with direct access to power.)
|
general public (A lobby represents a specific interest, in contrast to the general public as a whole.)
Themes
politics
|business
|society
|law
Definition
A group that tries to make the government support their ideas or protect their business or interest.
An organized group of people or companies that works to influence politicians, public policy, or government decisions in favor of a particular interest.
VERB
B2
3
lobbizik
B2
Usage pattern:
lobby [someone] for/against [something]
The company hired lawyers to lobby the government for tax breaks.
A vállalat ügyvédeket fogadott, hogy adókedvezményekért lobbizzanak a kormánynál.
Parents are lobbying the school board to improve safety measures.
A szülők az iskolatanácsnál lobbiznak azért, hogy javítsák a biztonsági intézkedéseket.
Environmental groups have been lobbying hard against the new coal mine.
They lobbied members of parliament for stricter gun control laws.
Employees are lobbying management for more flexible working hours.
Learner examples
Students plan to lobby the mayor about bus prices.
A diákok azt tervezik, hogy lobbiznak a polgármesternél a buszjegyárak ügyében.
Many doctors lobby the government for better hospitals.
Sok orvos lobbizik a kormánynál jobb kórházakért.
Workers want to lobby their boss for higher pay.
The group lobbied against the new law.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "lobby" without a preposition, e.g. "lobby a tax". It is more natural to say "lobby for a lower tax" or "lobby the government to lower taxes". Also, "lobby" is usually about influencing people in power, not about casual everyday disagreements.
Meaning
try to influence decision-makers
Collocations
lobby the government
|lobby lawmakers
|lobby hard for
|lobby against the bill
|actively lobby for change
|companies lobby regulators
Synonyms
pressure (Stresses strong or sometimes forceful attempts to influence someone; can sound more negative.)
|
persuade (General word for making someone agree; does not specifically suggest political or organized activity.)
|
advocate (Focuses on supporting or speaking in favor of something publicly; does not always involve direct contact with decision-makers.)
Antonyms
ignore (To pay no attention and make no attempt to influence decisions.)
|
oppose passively (To be against something without taking active steps to influence it.)
Themes
politics
|business
|society
|law
Definition
To speak to people with power again and again to try to change their decision or make them support your idea.
To try to influence the decisions of politicians, government officials, or other people in authority, often in an organized or repeated way.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
4
Usage pattern:
in the lobby of [a parliament/house]
Journalists waited in the lobby outside the House of Commons chamber.
Az újságírók az alsóházi ülésterem előtti folyosón várakoztak.
The minister spoke briefly to campaigners in the lobby before the vote.
A miniszter a szavazás előtt röviden beszélt a kampányolókkal a parlamenti folyosón.
Lobby correspondents gather information by talking to politicians in the lobby.
Protesters were not allowed into the chamber but gathered in the public lobby.
She met several undecided MPs in the lobby just before the division.
Learner examples
Reporters stand in the lobby outside the main room.
A riporterek a főterem előtti folyosón állnak.
Members talk to each other in the lobby between debates.
A képviselők a viták között a parlamenti folyosón beszélgetnek egymással.
Visitors can watch the busy lobby of the parliament.
The lobby is next to the place where they vote.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this political meaning of "lobby" with a normal building entrance hall. In political news, "the lobby" can specifically mean the area around a parliament’s chamber and the community of reporters who work there.
Meaning
corridor beside a parliament chamber
Collocations
in the lobby of Parliament
|the division lobby
|the members' lobby
|reporters in the lobby
|meet MPs in the lobby
Synonyms
corridor (A general word for a long passage in a building; does not carry the specific parliamentary meaning of "lobby".)
|
antechamber (A more formal word for a waiting room outside an important room; slightly old-fashioned and less specific than the parliamentary sense of "lobby".)
Antonyms
chamber (The main formal meeting room where debates and votes happen, as opposed to the informal lobby space outside it.)
Themes
politics
|government
|law
|communication
Definition
In a parliament building, the space next to the main room where members and other people can walk, wait, and talk.
In a parliament or similar legislature, a corridor or area next to the main debating chamber where members, journalists, and visitors can meet and talk informally.
Grammar
Dictionary form
lobby
IPA
GB/lˈɑbi/
US/lˈɑbi/
Syllables & stress
lobby (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (lobby)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: lobby
- Plural: lobbies
Verb
- Base: lobby
- 3rd Person Singular: lobbies
- Present Participle: lobbying
- Past: lobbied
Word family
Expressions
lobby against
1/lˈɑbi əɡˈɛnst/
fixed phrase
try to influence against something
To try to make people in power stop or reject a plan, law, or idea.
Examples
- Parents are lobbying against the closure of the local school.
- Several charities are lobbying against cuts to healthcare spending.
lobby for
1/lˈɑbi fɚ/
fixed phrase
try to influence in favor
To try to make people in power support or accept a plan, law, or idea.
Examples
- Local businesses are lobbying for better public transport.
- The organization lobbied for stronger protections for migrant workers.
the gun lobby
1/ðə ɡˈʌn lˈɑbi/
fixed phrase
organized group supporting gun rights
Groups and organizations that work to stop new gun control laws and protect the right to own guns, especially in the US.
Examples
- The gun lobby has strongly opposed the new background check proposals.
- Many politicians are careful not to anger the gun lobby.