interloper

noun in·ter·lop·er \ ˌin-tər-ˈlō-pər , ˈin-tər-ˌlō- \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of interloper

: one that interlopes: such as

a : an illegal or unlicensed trader

b : one that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity

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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 of interloper from the Web

The traditional advocacy groups, which have been the dominant representatives of veterans since World War II, view Concerned Veterans for America as an interloper driven by the views of its wealthy backers, not average veterans.

— chicagotribune.com, "How a Koch-backed veterans group gained influence in Trump's Washington," 8 Apr. 2018
Today, hate speech against Rohingya, or Bengalis as they are called by nationalists trying to characterize them as interlopers from Bangladesh, is pervasive online.

— laignee barron, Time, "Nationalist Monk Known as the 'Burmese bin Laden' Has Been Stopped From Spreading Hate on Facebook," 28 Feb. 2018
From the Magazine Painted as an interloper in the wake of Prince Charles and Diana’s divorce, Camilla Parker Bowles underwent an image overhaul before her 2005 wedding.

— penny junor, Vanities, "How Camilla Won Over the Queen and Became the Duchess of Cornwall," 28 Mar. 2018
Primary interlopers can come in all shapes, sizes, colors and ideological preoccupations.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "A Bernie-Endorsed Candidate in Illinois May Have Lost Because of Bernie’s Preferred Primary System," 21 Mar. 2018
For now, the robot interloper recorded only video, but its creators envision adding other sensors, such as thermometers.

— National Geographic, "This Wiggly Fish Is the Most Advanced Robot of Its Kind," 21 Mar. 2018
Now, a new study hints that this exotic interloper most likely began its voyage after being cast out of a double-star system.

— sid perkins, Science | AAAS, "Mysterious asteroid that visited us from beyond our solar system probably came from a place with two stars," 19 Mar. 2018
No need to change the Federation's regulatory framework or put some checks and balances in there so Admiral Bloodlust can't freakin' burn an entire planet down after secretly installing a non-Federation interloper as captain.

— annalee newitz, Ars Technica, "Star Trek Discovery: “I’ve made a lot of bad emotional choices”," 7 Feb. 2018
But there is another interloper in the ACC mix as well, surprising Boston College, where former Ohio University/Kent State coach Jim Christian threatens to get into the NCAA Tournament mix as well.

— elton alexander, cleveland.com, "College Basketball 2018: Games to watch this weekend, March 8-11 (video)," 8 Mar. 2018

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

The History of interloper

When English speakers combined "inter-" with "-loper" in the late 1500s, they already had a word landloper (now archaic) for "a person who runs about the land" (in other words, a vagrant). The "-loper" part of "interloper" is related to Middle Dutch and Old English words meaning "to run" and "to leap." An "interloper" is essentially one who jumps into the midst of things without an invitation to do so. In its earliest uses, "interloper" referred specifically to one who interfered in trade illegally - that is, a trader who trespassed on the rights or charters of others. Sometimes "interloper" even referred to a ship employed in illegal trading. But the word quickly took on extended use, coming to refer not just to intrusion in trade but also in personal affairs or other matters.