Definition of interloper
: one that interlopes: such asa : an illegal or unlicensed traderb : 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
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His perturbed spirit remains dumbly attached to his former home, agitated by interlopers, and causes the lights to blink or dishes to shatter in a rage born of confusion.
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But something strange happened as Kimmel chatted with Will on Thursday night: an interloper took to the stage, wearing a T-shirt and jeans.
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But something strange happened as Kimmel chatted with Will on Thursday night: an interloper took to the stage, wearing a T-shirt and jeans.
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This wooden 1992 action thriller stars the late Bill Paxton and William Sadler as the white interlopers stumbling onto a black gang's turf.
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Alice, spotting an interloper in Pippa, can barely contain her jealous rage.
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Stabbings, jump scares, and sneaky attempts to deal with other human interlopers filled out one of the Los Angeles crowd's favorite gameplay sequences of the night.
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Assistants fend off interlopers, and publicists offer one 8:14 a.m. slot half a year away, along with a warning that their client will have mere minutes to chat.
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There was an immediate tension and distraction among the tennis players, and though no one said anything out loud, all turned their attention towards the hooded interloper.
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.
First Known Use of interloper
circa 1590
INTERLOPER Defined for English Language Learners
interloper
playDefinition of interloper for English Language Learners
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: a person who is not wanted or welcome by the other people in a situation or place
INTERLOPER Defined for Kids
interloper
playDefinition of interloper for Students
: a person present in a situation or place where he or she is not wanted
Learn More about interloper
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for interloper Spanish Central: Translation of interloper Nglish: Translation of interloper for Spanish speakers
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