Definition

Noun: 1. Political Action Committee: A committee formed by a special-interest group to raise and spend money to support or oppose political candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. PACs are a major feature of campaign finance in the United States.

Usage

• As a subject: "The PAC spent millions on advertising."
• As an object: "The candidate received significant funding from a corporate PAC."
• With modifiers: "A pro-environment PAC," "an influential PAC," "a Super PAC."

Examples

• "The new campaign finance laws regulated how much money a PAC could donate directly to a candidate."
• "Several PACs were formed to influence the outcome of the election."
• "Donations to the PAC are used to support candidates who share our values."

Advanced Usage

• Super PAC: A type of independent political action committee that may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute directly to candidates or parties. It must spend independently.
  • "The Super PAC aired attack ads without coordinating with the candidate's campaign."
• Leadership PAC: A PAC established by a politician to support other candidates, thereby increasing the politician's influence.
  • "The senator used her leadership PAC to help allies in tight congressional races."

Variants and Related Words

• PAC is almost always used as an acronym and is typically written in all capital letters. The full form, "Political Action Committee," is often used in formal or explanatory contexts.
• PACs is the standard plural form.

Synonyms

• Campaign committee
• Political committee
• Election fund (less formal)

Notes on Meaning

The term "PAC" is specific to the U.S. political system. In other contexts, "pac" could be a casual abbreviation for "package" (e.g., "a software pac") or refer to other acronyms, but its primary and most common meaning is "Political Action Committee."

Noun

1. committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates