filibuster

fil·i·bus·ter

F0118900 (fĭl′ə-bŭs′tər)n.1. a. The obstructing or delaying of legislative action, especially by prolonged speechmaking.b. An instance of this, especially a prolonged speech.2. An adventurer who engages in a private military action in a foreign country.v. fil·i·bus·tered, fil·i·bus·ter·ing, fil·i·bus·ters v.intr.1. To obstruct or delay legislative action, especially by making prolonged speeches.2. To take part in a private military action in a foreign country.v.tr. To use a filibuster against (a legislative measure, for example).

[From Spanish filibustero, freebooter, from French flibustier, from Dutch vrijbuiter, pirate; see freebooter.]

fil′i·bus′ter·er n.

filibuster

(ˈfɪlɪˌbʌstə) n1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the process or an instance of obstructing legislation by means of long speeches and other delaying tactics2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) Also called: filibusterer a legislator who engages in such obstruction3. (Historical Terms) a buccaneer, freebooter, or irregular military adventurer, esp a revolutionary in a foreign countryvb4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) to obstruct (legislation) with delaying tactics5. (Historical Terms) (intr) to engage in unlawful and private military action[C16: from Spanish filibustero, from French flibustier probably from Dutch vrijbuiter pirate, literally: one plundering freely; see freebooter] ˈfiliˌbusterer n ˈfiliˌbusterism n

fil•i•bus•ter

(ˈfɪl əˌbʌs tər)

n. 1. a. the use of irregular or obstructive tactics by a member of a legislative assembly to prevent the adoption of a measure. b. an exceptionally long speech or other tactic used for this purpose. c. Also, fil′i•bus`ter•er. a legislator who uses such tactics. 2. an irregular military adventurer. v.i. 3. to impede legislation by obstructive tactics. 4. to act as an irregular military adventurer, esp. for revolutionary purposes. v.t. 5. to impede (legislation) by obstructive tactics. [1580–90; < Sp filibustero < Middle French flibustier, variant of fribustier; see freebooter]

filibuster

Past participle: filibustered
Gerund: filibustering

Imperative
filibuster
filibuster

Present
I filibuster
you filibuster
he/she/it filibusters
we filibuster
you filibuster
they filibuster

Preterite
I filibustered
you filibustered
he/she/it filibustered
we filibustered
you filibustered
they filibustered

Present Continuous
I am filibustering
you are filibustering
he/she/it is filibustering
we are filibustering
you are filibustering
they are filibustering

Present Perfect
I have filibustered
you have filibustered
he/she/it has filibustered
we have filibustered
you have filibustered
they have filibustered

Past Continuous
I was filibustering
you were filibustering
he/she/it was filibustering
we were filibustering
you were filibustering
they were filibustering

Past Perfect
I had filibustered
you had filibustered
he/she/it had filibustered
we had filibustered
you had filibustered
they had filibustered

Future
I will filibuster
you will filibuster
he/she/it will filibuster
we will filibuster
you will filibuster
they will filibuster

Future Perfect
I will have filibustered
you will have filibustered
he/she/it will have filibustered
we will have filibustered
you will have filibustered
they will have filibustered

Future Continuous
I will be filibustering
you will be filibustering
he/she/it will be filibustering
we will be filibustering
you will be filibustering
they will be filibustering

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been filibustering
you have been filibustering
he/she/it has been filibustering
we have been filibustering
you have been filibustering
they have been filibustering

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been filibustering
you will have been filibustering
he/she/it will have been filibustering
we will have been filibustering
you will have been filibustering
they will have been filibustering

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been filibustering
you had been filibustering
he/she/it had been filibustering
we had been filibustering
you had been filibustering
they had been filibustering

Conditional
I would filibuster
you would filibuster
he/she/it would filibuster
we would filibuster
you would filibuster
they would filibuster

Past Conditional
I would have filibustered
you would have filibustered
he/she/it would have filibustered
we would have filibustered
you would have filibustered
they would have filibustered

filibuster

The practice of trying to delay the passage of legislation by making long speeches or using other obstructive tactics.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	filibuster - a legislator who gives long speeches in an effort to delay or obstruct legislation that he (or she) opposesfilibustererdelayer - a person who delays; to put off until later or cause to be latelegislator - someone who makes or enacts laws
	2.	filibuster - (law) a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speechesdelay, holdup - the act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later timelaw, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"
Verb	1.	filibuster - obstruct deliberately by delayinglawmaking, legislating, legislation - the act of making or enacting lawsblockade, obstruct, stymie, stymy, embarrass, hinder, block - hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of; "His brother blocked him at every turn"

filibuster

noun1. obstruction, delay, postponement, hindrance, procrastination The Senator used a filibuster to stop the bill.verb1. obstruct, prevent, delay, put off, hinder, play for time, procrastinate They threatened to filibuster until senate adjourns.

Translations

filibusterofare ostruzionismofilibustiereostruzionismo

filibuster

filibuster,

term used to designate obstructionist tactics in legislative assemblies. It has particular reference to the U.S. Senate, where the tradition of unlimited debate is very strong. It was not until 1917 that the Senate provided for cloture (i.e., the ending of the debate) by a vote of two thirds of the senators present; three fifths are now generally required. Yet, despite many attempts, cloture has been applied only rarely. The filibuster has been used by various blocs of senators for different purposes; for example, by conservatives resisting civil-rights legislation in the 1960s, and by liberals resisting cuts in the capital gains tax in 1991. At times the threat of a filibuster has been sufficient to prevent a bill from being debated and voted on. Bills favored by President ObamaObama, Barack
(Barack Hussein Obama 2d), , 1961–, 44th president of the United States (2009–17), b. Honolulu, grad. Columbia (B.A. 1983), Harvard Law School (J.D. 1991).
..... Click the link for more information. have been filibustered more often than those of any other president. The threat of a filibuster has also been used to prevent a vote on presidential nominees to executive and judicial posts, and in 2013 the Senate rules for those nominees were changed so that only a majority vote was required to end debate.

In the 17th cent. the word was applied to buccaneers who plundered the Spanish colonies in the New World. In the 19th cent. the term was used more in reference to adventurers who organized and led, under private initiative, armed expeditions into countries with which the country from which they set out was at peace. Complications between the governments involved were likely to result. There was a series of filibustering expeditions from the United States against Cuba, Mexico, and Central and South American countries in the 19th cent., some of them led by citizens of the United States, as those of John A. QuitmanQuitman, John Anthony,
1798–1858, American general and politician, b. Rhinebeck, N.Y. He settled in Natchez, Miss., where he practiced law and held a series of political offices, serving in the state legislature and as acting governor (1835–36).
..... Click the link for more information. and William WalkerWalker, William,
1824–60, American filibuster in Nicaragua, b. Nashville, Tenn. Walker, a qualified doctor, a lawyer, and a journalist by the time he was 24, sought a more adventurous career.
..... Click the link for more information. , and some by rebellious citizens of the government they sought to overthrow, as those of Narciso LópezLópez, Narciso
, 1798?–1851, Spanish-American soldier, b. Venezuela. After serving in the Spanish army during the Venezuelan revolution against Spain, he left his native country for Cuba (1823).
..... Click the link for more information. against Cuba. Texas, when it was still part of Mexico, was the scene of many such filibustering activities.

Bibliography

For works on legislative filibusters, see F. L. Burdette, Filibustering in the Senate (1940, repr. 1965), S. A. Binder and S. S. Smith, Politics or Principle?: Filibustering in the United States Senate (1996), G. Koger, Filibustering (2010), and R. Arenberg and R. Dove, Defending the Filibuster (2012).

For works on earlier senses of filibuster, see J. J. Roche, By-Ways of War: The Story of the Filibusters (1901), H. G. Warren, The Sword Was Their Passport (1943), and J. A. Stout, The Liberators (1973).

filibuster

1. Politics the process or an instance of obstructing legislation by means of long speeches and other delaying tactics 2. History a buccaneer, freebooter, or irregular military adventurer, esp a revolutionary in a foreign country

filibuster

fil·i·bus·ter

filibuster

fil•i•bus•ter

filibuster

filibuster

filibuster

filibuster

filibuster,

Bibliography

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Synonyms for filibuster

noun obstruction

Synonyms

verb obstruct

Synonyms

Synonyms for filibuster

noun a legislator who gives long speeches in an effort to delay or obstruct legislation that he (or she) opposes

Synonyms

Related Words

noun (law) a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speeches

Related Words

verb obstruct deliberately by delaying

Related Words