interloper
noun
in·ter·lop·er
ˌin-tər-ˈlō-pər 
ˈin-tər-ˌlō-
: one that interlopes: such as
a
: one that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity
b
: an illegal or unlicensed trader
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The History of Interloper
The -loper part of interloper is believed to be either from an English dialectal word meaning "leap" or from a Dutch word meaning "to run." (The prefix inter- means "between" or "among.") An interloper is essentially one that jumps into the midst of things without an invitation to do so.
Synonyms
Examples of interloper in a Sentence
I had hoped to help my neighbors, but they regarded me as an interloper.
summer residents were regarded as interlopers who had no deep commitment to the town's welfare
Recent Examples on the Web
But that doesn’t mean the conference title chase can’t have its own intrigue, and the Utes are well-positioned as an interloper to shake up the Big 12 hierarchy.
—
Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
The whole tone of the process tends to treat any developer as an evil interloper who is trying to do something bad and must be controlled and pushed to do something good in order to proceed.
—Joshua Stein, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
Rather than treating Trump as a malign interloper to a virtuous establishment, Democrats should oppose him as the manifestation of a corrupt, self-enriching, oligarchic global elite.
—Ben Rhodes, Foreign Affairs, 13 Dec. 2024
The top-five teams remained unchanged in the latest College Football Playoff rankings with undefeated Oregon on top followed by Ohio State, Texas, Penn State and Indiana — four Big Ten teams and an SEC interloper.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
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Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
The whole tone of the process tends to treat any developer as an evil interloper who is trying to do something bad and must be controlled and pushed to do something good in order to proceed.
—Joshua Stein, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
Rather than treating Trump as a malign interloper to a virtuous establishment, Democrats should oppose him as the manifestation of a corrupt, self-enriching, oligarchic global elite.
—Ben Rhodes, Foreign Affairs, 13 Dec. 2024
The top-five teams remained unchanged in the latest College Football Playoff rankings with undefeated Oregon on top followed by Ohio State, Texas, Penn State and Indiana — four Big Ten teams and an SEC interloper.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for interloper
Dictionary Entries Near interloper
Cite this Entry
“Interloper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interloper. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
interloper
noun
in·ter·lop·er
ˌint-ər-ˈlō-pər
ˈint-ər-ˌlō-pər
: a person who intrudes or interferes wrongly or meddlesomely
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