filibuster
Say it: FIL-ih-bus-tuh /ˈfɪlɪbʌstə/ · noun
What “filibuster” means
A long speech used to delay or block a decision.
More precisely: Prolonged speaking used to delay or block a decision, especially in a legislature.
Example: “Her twenty-minute filibuster ran the meeting out of time before the vote.”
When to use it
In politics or meetings, when someone deliberately keeps speaking so a vote or decision cannot happen.
Similar words
stalling, delaying tactic, obstruction
Where it comes from
From Dutch vrijbuiter, 'freebooter, pirate', via Spanish filibustero.
Quick check
A committee member keeps talking until the room booking ends, deliberately preventing the scheduled vote. This is…
a peroration or a filibuster?
Show the answer
a filibuster
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