lobby.
An entryway or reception area; vestibule; passageway; corridor.
Meaning & usage
An entryway or reception area; vestibule; passageway; corridor.
I had to wait in the lobby for hours before seeing the doctor.
That part of a hall of legislation not appropriated to the official use of the assembly.
A class or group of interested people who try to influence public officials; collectively, lobbyists.
The influence of the tobacco lobby has decreased considerably in the US.
A virtual area where meeting attendees can await admittance from an authorized person.
A virtual area where players can chat and find opponents for a game.
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.
A margin along either side of the playing field in the sport of kabaddi.
A waiting area in front of a bank of elevators.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ-der.? Proto-Germanic *laubą Proto-West Germanic *laub Proto-Germanic *-jô Proto-West Germanic *-jō Frankish *laubijābor. Medieval Latin laubiabor. English lobby 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.
To attempt to influence (a public official or decision-maker) in favor of a specific opinion or cause.
For years, pro-life groups have continued to lobby hard for restrictions on abortion.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ-der.? Proto-Germanic *laubą Proto-West Germanic *laub Proto-Germanic *-jô Proto-West Germanic *-jō Frankish *laubijābor. Medieval Latin laubiabor. English lobby 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.
lobscouse
My mam cooked us lobby for tea last night.
Where this word comes from
Shortened from lobscouse.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.