lobby

Everyday

1. A large hall or entrance area just inside the front door of a hotel, theatre, flats or office building. tree →
2. A group of people who try to get politicians to make or change laws for their cause: the farming lobby. tree →
3. (verb) To try to persuade politicians or people in charge to do something. tree →
4. (UK) A hall in Parliament where members of the public can meet MPs. tree →
5. A lobby can also be a hall or passage inside a house, such as one upstairs. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life you wait in the lobby of a hotel or cinema. In civics lessons and news, «lobbying» means trying to persuade lawmakers; children can lobby their school council or head teacher too. Phrases: hotel lobby, in the lobby, lobby for something, lobby against something, lobby group.

Examples

• We waited for Grandma in the hotel lobby. tree →
• The lobby of the cinema smelled of popcorn. tree →
• Our class lobbied the head teacher for a longer break. tree →
• The parents lobbied the council for a new crossing outside school. tree →
• A big lobby group is against the new law. tree →
• Meet me in the lobby at the front door. tree →
• The environmental lobby wants fewer plastic bags. tree →
• The flats have a lobby with a lift and mailboxes. tree →
• "I have just a ceiling to finish in an upper lobby," said Gobborn, "and then it wants nothing." tree →

Note

Countable noun: lobbies (y to ies). Verb forms: lobbies, lobbied, lobbying. A person who lobbies is a «lobbyist». Similar words for the hall: foyer, entrance hall, reception.