insider

in·sid·er | \ (ˌ)in-ˈsī-dər

, ˈin-ˌsī- \

Definition of insider

: a person recognized or accepted as a member of a group, category, or organization: such as

a : a person who is in a position of power or has access to confidential information

b : a person (such as an officer or director) who is in a position to have special knowledge of the affairs of or to influence the decisions of a company

Examples of insider in a Sentence

Political insiders say that she is planning to run for president. The book gives fans an insider's view of Hollywood.

Recent Examples on the Web Art Basel weekend is officially here and industry insiders, art fanatics, and influencers are headed down to Miami to enjoy the annual weekend-long event. — Nandi Howard, Essence, "Hebru Brantley And BBC Ice Cream Collab For Miami's Art Basel," 5 Dec. 2019 Sundar Pichai, a longtime insider who helped oversee Chrome and Android, took over as CEO of Google while Page took the title of Alphabet CEO. — Seth Fiegerman, CNN, "Google's co-founders may be stepping down, but don't expect much to change," 4 Dec. 2019 Those attitudes contribute to inertia in Congress, insiders say. — USA Today, "America's parents want paid family leave and affordable child care. Why can't they get it?," 3 Dec. 2019 By the end of his first term, at least 20 books will have been written about Trump’s political dealings, several of them by former Washington insiders, including staff members, FBI officials, politicians, advisers and journalists. — Dahleen Glanton, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Former staffers keep writing books about how inept Donald Trump is. We shouldn’t buy books from cowards.," 27 Nov. 2019 Conversations with Stearns, as well as Loftus’ campaign consultant and other political insiders, pointed to several key reasons that the neck-and-neck race finally tipped Boudin’s way. — Heather Knight, SFChronicle.com, "How Chesa Boudin, a public defender who never prosecuted a case, won SF D.A. race," 11 Nov. 2019 But Kremlin insiders say Putin remains interested—and that the Russian state is experimenting. — Wired, "The Shady Cryptocurrency Boom on the Post-Soviet Frontier," 29 Oct. 2019 His remarks led many fashion insiders, including Victoria's Secret models and employees, to speak out against the brand. — Kara Nesvig, Teen Vogue, "Victoria’s Secret Debuted a New Campaign with Lingerie Brand Bluebella Featuring Plus-Size and Transgender Models," 10 Oct. 2019 Intel ultimately stayed with an insider, promoting Chief Financial Officer Bob Swan to CEO. — Mike Rogoway, oregonlive, "VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger: Faith has a role in technology leadership," 9 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'insider.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

8 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Insider.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insider. Accessed 10 December 2019.

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More Definitions for insider

insider

noun

Financial Definition of insider

What It Is

An insider is an employee, director or any other person who is privy to confidential, nonpublic information about a company.

How It Works

Given their position, managers and executives within a company are privy to information about a company's operations that is not available to the investing public. The news and details of an upcoming merger or special dividend that have not yet been announced are two examples of insider information. Once information has been made public by the company, it is no longer considered "insider" information.

Why It Matters

Individuals with access to insider information have an unfair advantage in the market. Using this information to base a trade is an illegal practice known as "insider trading."

It is also illegal for a person with insider information to pass it to a third party so that they may use the information to profit.

Source: Investing Answers

insider

noun

English Language Learners Definition of insider

: a person who belongs to a group or organization and has special knowledge about it

See the full definition for insider in the English Language Learners Dictionary

insider

noun

in·sid·er | \ in-ˈsī-dər

Kids Definition of insider

: a member of a group or organization who has information about it

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insider

noun

in·sid·er

Legal Definition of insider

: a person who is in a position of power or has access to confidential information: as

a : one (as an officer, director, employee, relative, or owner of more than 10% of the corporation's stock) who is in a position to have special knowledge of the affairs of or to influence the decisions of a company

b : an individual (as a relative or an influential party) or entity (as a corporate affiliate) having a close relationship with a debtor such that transactions are not made at arm's length and are subject to closer scrutiny than the transactions of those dealing at arm's length

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