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

Our two Yank interlopers spend some time puzzling over what that supernatural secret might be, before all is revealed in a burst of fantastical exposition toward the end of Act 1. —Chris Willman, Variety, 27 May 2026

The other possibility is that the aggressive dove was an interloper and was trying to claim the nesting site as part of its territory. —Joan Morris, Mercury News, 4 May 2026

One involves a séance for Mary held by a mysterious interloper named Imogen (FKA Twigs), whose revelations send the singer into self-harming conniptions. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026

Last fall’s announcement that Amazon’s Prime Video platform would be teeing up four hours of exclusive coverage of the Masters was met with a predictable show of teeth-gnashing truculence, because how dare the Augusta brass entrust a new carveout to a digital interloper? —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 Apr. 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