lobby

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A hall, foyer, or waiting room at or near the entrance to a building, such as a hotel or theater.
• noun A public room next to the assembly chamber of a legislative body.
• noun A group of persons engaged in trying to influence legislators or other public officials in favor of a specific cause.
• intransitive verb To try to influence the thinking of legislators or other public officials for or against a specific cause.
• intransitive verb To try to influence public officials on behalf of or against (proposed legislation, for example).
• intransitive verb To try to influence (an official) to take a desired action.

from The Century Dictionary.

• To frequent the lobby of a legislature or other deliberative body for the purpose of influencing the official action of members; solicit votes from members, whether in the lobby or elsewhere.
• To promote or carry by solicitation of legislative favor or votes: as, to lobby a measure through Congress.
• noun An inclosed space surrounding or communicating with one or more apartments.
• noun Nautical, an apartment immediately before the captain's cabin.
• noun Persons who occupy or resort to the lobby or the approaches to a legislative chamber for the purpose of transacting business with the members, and especially of influencing their official action or votes.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun (Arch.) A passage or hall of communication, especially when large enough to serve also as a waiting room. It differs from an antechamber in that a lobby communicates between several rooms, an antechamber to one only; but this distinction is not carefully preserved.
• noun United States, United States, United States That part of a hall of legislation not appropriated to the official use of the assembly; hence, the persons, collectively, who frequent such a place to transact business with the legislators
• noun (Naut.) An apartment or passageway in the fore part of an old-fashioned cabin under the quarter-deck.
• noun (Agric.) A confined place for cattle, formed by hedges. trees, or other fencing, near the farmyard.
• noun [Humorous cant, U. S.] a lobbyist.
• transitive verb U.S. To urge the adoption or passage of by soliciting members of a legislative body; ; -- also used with the legislators as object.
• intransitive verb U.S. To address or solicit members of a legislative body in the lobby or elsewhere, with the purpose to influence their votes; in an extended sense, to try to influence decision-makers in any circumstance.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun informal scouse (from lobscouse)
• noun An entryway or reception area; vestibule; passageway; corridor.
• noun A class or group of people who try to lobby or influence public officials; collectively, lobbyists.
• noun video games A virtual area where players can chat and find opponents for a game.
• verb intransitive, transitive To attempt to influence (a public official or decision-maker) in favor of a specific opinion or cause.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• verb detain in conversation by or as if by holding on to the outer garments of; as for political or economic favors
• noun a group of people who try actively to influence legislation
• noun a large entrance or reception room or area
• noun the people who support some common cause or business or principle or sectional interest