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

If you keep chickens, a coyote loping around in the vicinity of your coop is not welcome. You'd be justified, both semantically and etymologically, in calling such a coyote an interloper. The -loper part of interloper shares an ancestor with the Old English verb hlēapan, meaning "to leap," and the Dutch verb lopen, meaning "to run." (The verb lope does too.) The prefix inter- means "between" or "among," so an interloper is essentially one that leaps in among others (for example, a flock of hens) without an invitation to do so. Interloper made itself at home among English speakers in the late 1500s; the verb interlope, which arrived close in tow in the early 1600s, is likely a back-formation.

Synonyms of interloper

• intruder

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

Over the last three local election cycles, the nastiness has come from some interloper. —Haven Shoemaker, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2026

Mountbatten-Windsor and a bodyguard safely stayed clear of the interloper. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 6 June 2026

These researchers were curious whether this particular interloper may have been linked to aliens. —Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 4 June 2026

Wemby, along with Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, stared at the interloper in seeming shock before security restrained him and he was led off the court. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1590, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for interloper

• loper
• roper
• sloper

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Kids Definition

interloper

noun

in·​ter·​lop·​er ˌint-ər-ˈlō-pər 

ˈint-ər-ˌlō-pər

: a person who intrudes or interferes wrongly or meddlesomely