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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of special interests
The spending bonanza is a good window into how pricey campaigns, unlimited PAC donations and special interests can come to dominate races behind the scenes.
—
Bayliss Wagner, Houston Chronicle, 12 Feb. 2026
Cater to special interests Conservatives used to profess that closer-to-home local government was best, but it has been abandoned across the nation.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
Two of the individuals running talk of the people yet have amassed over a million dollars through large donations and special interests.
—Mansoor Shams, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2026
Trump’s frustration with Canada has set the tone, and self-serving special interests have magnified his clarion call.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
Political action committees have also yet to begin any major independent expenditures in the governor’s race opposing or supporting candidates on behalf of corporations, labor unions and other special interests.
—Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 4 Feb. 2026
There’s not even a big group of special interests that stand to benefit, like there usually is when a policy happens to get a lot of traction.
—Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 21 Jan. 2026
For years, Congress set tariff rates item by item, and the debates over each line were susceptible to capture by special interests.
—Inu Manak, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
And many of the costs can be traced back to labor union special interests.
—Lylena D. Estabine, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Bayliss Wagner, Houston Chronicle, 12 Feb. 2026
Cater to special interests Conservatives used to profess that closer-to-home local government was best, but it has been abandoned across the nation.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
Two of the individuals running talk of the people yet have amassed over a million dollars through large donations and special interests.
—Mansoor Shams, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2026
Trump’s frustration with Canada has set the tone, and self-serving special interests have magnified his clarion call.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
Political action committees have also yet to begin any major independent expenditures in the governor’s race opposing or supporting candidates on behalf of corporations, labor unions and other special interests.
—Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 4 Feb. 2026
There’s not even a big group of special interests that stand to benefit, like there usually is when a policy happens to get a lot of traction.
—Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 21 Jan. 2026
For years, Congress set tariff rates item by item, and the debates over each line were susceptible to capture by special interests.
—Inu Manak, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
And many of the costs can be traced back to labor union special interests.
—Lylena D. Estabine, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for special interests
Noun
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Howard sought to realign the interests of humanity with those of nature in agricultural practices as a way to protect our food systems from wasteful industrial consumption.—
Annie Levin,
Washington Post,
10 Feb. 2026
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Redman, who along with a handful of other representatives disclosed business interests in short-term rentals, cosponsored the bill alongside House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star.—
Mark Dee,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Those who might be displaced or de-skilled by the advancing tech wave will fight in the office with passive aggression, in the media with poisonous leaks delivered at just the worst time, and in legislatures through the voting power of the bureaucrats, teachers’ unions, and other interest groups.—
Walter Russell Mead,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
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As costs rise, candidates devote more time to courting wealthy backers, interest groups and political action committees.—
Philip Jankowski,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Cosseted by favorable districts and incumbent fundraising advantages, the majority caters mostly to pressure groups — especially socially conservative ones — that influence Republican primaries.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
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Johnson is calling for coordinated national efforts led by mayors and state governments, in concert with public pressure groups and local residents, to combat the actions by ICE, the Border Patrol and other federal authorities.—
David Greising,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Special interests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/special%20interests. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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