insider

noun in·sid·er \ (ˌ)in-ˈsī-dər , ˈin-ˌsī- \

Updated on: 12 May 2018

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

See insider defined for English-language learners

See insider defined for kids

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 of insider from the Web

However, Columbus Nova is the US subsidiary of a Russian mega-company called Renova, controlled by Viktor Vekselberg, the kind of well-heeled insider who regularly meets with Putin, and whose business holdings show up in the Panama Papers.

— evan horowitz, BostonGlobe.com, "Here’s how recent revelations may link Michael Cohen to Russia," 9 May 2018
Even Washington insiders now run against Washington.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Primary results confirm 2018 is a terrible year to be a House Republican," 9 May 2018
At the time, Disney insiders noted that the most obvious role for James would involve international operations.

— brooks barnes, New York Times, "James Murdoch Will Not Join Disney if Fox Deal Is Completed," 8 May 2018
The stock buys marked Musk's biggest Tesla purchases since early 2017, and boosted his stake in the company to nearly 20%, according to data of company insiders' stock holdings compiled by Bloomberg.

— kevin mccoy, USA TODAY, "Elon Musk buys $9.85M more of Tesla shares, boosting his stake to nearly 20%," 8 May 2018
Production insiders gathered on Saturday for the Film in California Conference.

— savannah robinson, The Hollywood Reporter, "Courtney B. Vance Touts Local Production at Film in California Conference," 6 May 2018
Yet for all the enthusiasm, most IO insiders expect the next seven years to unfold quite differently.

— Scientific American, "After the Gold Rush," 3 May 2018
Members of Congress extracted apologies from Zuckerberg last month, but company insiders saw his performance as a victory.

— tom simonite, WIRED, "How Artificial Intelligence Can–and Can't–Fix Facebook," 3 May 2018
The incident underscores the recurring threat Facebook and other companies face from rogue insiders who fail to follow company policies.

— dan goodin, Ars Technica, "Facebook security analyst is fired for using private data to stalk women," 3 May 2018

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.

First Known Use of insider

1848

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Financial Definition of INSIDER

insider

noun

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 Defined for English Language Learners

insider

noun

Definition of insider for English Language Learners

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

INSIDER Defined for Kids

insider

noun in·sid·er \ in-ˈsī-dər \

Definition of insider for Students

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

Law Dictionary

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