What does filibuster mean?
A filibuster is a delaying tactic used in a legislative assembly, most famously in the United States Senate, where a senator may speak for as long as possible to postpone or prevent a vote on a bill. The word also functions as a verb meaning to employ such tactics. Filibusters carry strong political connotations: defenders view them as a safeguard of minority rights, while critics see them as tools of obstruction that grind lawmaking to a halt. The term derives from the Dutch vrijbuiter, 'freebooter' or plunderer, entering English via French and Spanish in the mid-nineteenth century, when it referred to adventurers who fomented revolutions in Latin America before acquiring its modern legislative sense. Today it is indispensable vocabulary for anyone following American politics, appearing constantly in news coverage of Senate procedure, and it is sometimes used figuratively to describe any long-winded effort to stall a decision.
A prolonged speech or other tactic used to delay or obstruct proceedings in a legislative assembly.
"His twelve-hour filibuster became legendary in Senate history."
Most commonly associated with the U.S. Senate, where debate is not otherwise time-limited.
To obstruct or delay legislative business, typically by speaking at great length.
"Senators threatened to filibuster the nomination unless amendments were made."
Regular plural; used both for multiple instances of the delaying tactic and for people who engage in it (filibusterers is also used for the latter).
"Both bills died after weeks of filibusters."
In the U.S. Senate, a single senator can talk a bill to death — one 1957 filibuster lasted over 24 hours without sitting down.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of filibuster
Filibuster traces back to the Dutch vrijbuiter, meaning 'freebooter' or pirate, which also gave English the word freebooter. It passed into French as flibustier and Spanish as filibustero, and entered English in the mid-nineteenth century to describe military adventurers who incited insurrections in Latin American states. By the 1850s it had acquired its modern sense of obstructionist delaying tactics in legislative bodies, especially the U.S. Senate.
Related word forms
How filibuster is actually used
The word is chiefly associated with parliamentary procedure, especially the U.S. Senate, where unlimited debate makes filibusters possible; in British usage it is applied more loosely to any deliberate stalling of business. The verb is regular and often used figuratively outside politics for anyone who talks at length to delay a decision.
Easily confused with filibuster
A flibbertigibbet is a frivolous, flighty, chattering person, while a filibuster is obstructive delaying action in a legislature — the words merely resemble each other in sound.