SPECIAL INTEREST

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does special interest mean? 

• SPECIAL INTEREST (noun)
  The noun SPECIAL INTEREST has 1 sense:

1. an interest group that tries to influence legislators or bureaucrats to act in their favor, typically through lobbying

  Familiarity information: SPECIAL INTEREST used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPECIAL INTEREST (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An interest group that tries to influence legislators or bureaucrats to act in their favor, typically through lobbying

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

advocacy group; lobby; lobby group; pressure group; special-interest group; special interest; special interest group; third house

Hypernyms ("special interest" is a kind of...):

interest; interest group ((usually plural) a social group whose members control some field of activity and who have common aims)

political entity; political unit (a unit with political responsibilities)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "special interest"):

National Rifle Association; NRA (a powerful lobby that advocates the right to own and bear arms and rejects any gun regulation by the government)

 Context examples 

I regarded her, of course, with special interest.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Research areas of special interest include genetic predisposition, lifestyle factors, environmental contaminants, occupational exposures, medications, radiation and infectious agents, as well as statistics and methods development.

(Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, NCI Thesaurus)

Knowing that something exists, or having knowledge or experience of a particular thing; having special interest in or experience of something and so being well informed of what is happening in that subject at the present time.

(Awareness, NCI Thesaurus)

By the kindness of the Board of Trade inspector, I have been permitted to look over the log-book of the Demeter, which was in order up to within three days, but contained nothing of special interest except as to facts of missing men.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

I've a special interest in such young bears, and like to show them that I see the warm, honest, well-meaning boys' hearts, in spite of the clumsy arms and legs and the topsy-turvy heads.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)