noun
filibuster
FIH-lih-buhs-tuh
noun
1
A tactic used in a legislature — typically extended, often irrelevant speeches — to stall a vote or block a decision.
"The senator held the floor for twelve hours in a filibuster against the bill."
"Opponents threatened a filibuster to prevent the vote from ever happening."
verb
1
To use such delaying tactics in a legislative body.
"They vowed to filibuster the nomination until it was withdrawn."
How to Use Filibuster
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDeliberately talking for a very long time in parliament or Congress to delay or block a vote.
Memory tip
Most commonly heard in U.S. politics, describing senators speaking for hours to stall legislation.
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
stage a filibuster
threaten to filibuster
filibuster a bill
Word Forms
filibustered past tense, filibusters plural, filibusters singular
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The senator held the floor for twelve hours in a _____ against the bill.
Etymology
From Spanish filibustero ("pirate"), itself from French flibustier, ultimately traced back to Dutch vrijbuiter — "freebooter" — the same root that gives English the word freebooter.