interpreter

noun

in·​ter·​pret·​er in-ˈtər-prə-tər 

-pə-

plural interpreters

1

: someone or something that interprets: such as

a

: someone who translates for individuals or groups conversing in different languages

an interpreter at the United Nations

a sign language interpreter

b

: someone who explains or expounds

Aside from his Nobel Prize-winning work on quantum electrodynamics (don't ask), [Richard P.] Feynman was an interpreter of Maya hieroglyphics …

—Pam Freir

2

a

: a machine that prints on punch cards the symbols recorded in them by perforations

b

: a computer program that executes each of a set of high-level instructions before going to the next instruction

Synonyms of interpreter

• practitioner
• exponent

Examples of interpreter in a Sentence

He has now learned English well enough that he can conduct interviews without an interpreter.

Monet is generally regarded as the foremost interpreter of pure impressionism.

Recent Examples on the Web

Explore what independence meant to citizens, and celebrate the 250th with skilled interpreters, militia marching, interactive games and crafts, colonial music, vendors and more. — Staff Report, Baltimore Sun, 8 July 2026

An expired job ad for an experienced English interpreter at the UN advertised a salary range between $131,084 and $171,644. — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 2 July 2026

The musician-scholar Rhiannon Giddens, a leading interpreter of 19th-century American songs, told me that discussing Foster’s context is difficult because minstrel entertainment is so little understood today. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026

Maria Avila offered tearful recollections of the traumatic incident and her less-than-full recovery on the stand last week, speaking in Spanish with an interpreter. — Chris Willman, Variety, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing interpreter

• through an interpreter

Kids Definition

interpreter

noun

in·​ter·​pret·​er in-ˈtər-prət-ər 

1

: one that interprets

especially : a person who translates orally for people speaking different languages

2

: a computer program that translates an instruction into machine language and executes it before going to the next instruction