A lobbyist is a person whose work is to try to move the government — or someone with political power — to change a law or a situation. They talk, write, meet, and push on behalf of a company, a union, a charity, or some other group. The activity is lobbying; the person is the lobbyist. In American news the word is everywhere, and it often carries a slight smell: not always illegal, but people worry that money and access let some voices in while others wait outside. Though actually, many lobbyists are doing lawful, open work — a teachers’ group lobbying for smaller classes is still lobbying. The name comes from the lobby, the hall of a parliament or hotel, where people used to wait to catch a politician on the way in or out. So the hallway word and the politics word are the same family, not a coincidence. In Taiwan you will hear this about Washington, Brussels, and also about local 遊說. It is a noun for a person, not the verb itself (that is lobby).