special interests

noun

plural of special interest
as in interests
a group of people with a common identifying interest that they seek to protect and promote promised that as governor he would never be beholden to special interests

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of special interests My Ecuador and Peru travelers often have special interests including wildlife, culture, food, and hiking. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026 The organizations often stem from business groups, billionaires and other special interests who want to keep their identity hidden. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026 With a few other liberal Democrats, nicknamed the Grizzlies, Sher would pick through turgid language of legislation looking for provisions that reflected the undue influence of special interests. — Dan Morain, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026 Building affordable housing at scale means politicians need to break up with wealthy special interests like the construction accident lawyers who plaster the city and MTA buses with billboards and ads. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 Norman has decried the role of super PAC spending against him in the runoff campaign, accusing Graham of being funded by special interests who are pushing their own agenda through her candidacy. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 In typical Baltimore County Council fashion, most of those exemptions resulted from individual council members doing the bidding of special interests without regard to the public interest. — David Plymyer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Aug. 2026 Kelly has spent his career as a lobbyist representing special interests. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 But Hogg pointed instead to special interests and corporations that have long held sway over both dominant American political parties. — Michel Martin, NPR, 3 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for special interests
  1. interests
  2. interest groups
  3. pressure groups
Noun
  • Ultimately, after he was found out to be a con artist, according to his critics, Minnesota media appears to be more so upset that Jamal was not acting in the Somali community’s best interests.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
  • There will always be smart people, tech people, who don't have the world's best interests in mind.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of interests
Noun
  • The task force is expected to coordinate the government’s engagement with various stakeholders in a growing debate over the risks of AI, including consumers, public interest groups, tech companies and infrastructure providers.
    — Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2026
  • This year’s ballot contains the most propositions since 2018 and is likely to draw hundreds of millions of dollars in spending from interest groups.
    — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of interest groups
Noun
  • Public pressure groups, and politicians such as Herman Mashaba, are calling on the government to do much, much more.
    — Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026
  • Increasingly, book bans are driven less by individuals than by politically motivated pressure groups targeting decision-makers.
    — SPIN Team, SPIN, 22 June 2026
Definition of pressure groups

Browse Nearby Words

special interest
special interests
specialism
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Cite this Entry

“Special interests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/special%20interests. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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