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

The Washington Examiner asked state election officials how many precincts, belonging to the 12 language-minority districts that have hit the 20% threshold, will be provided an interpreter on Tuesday. — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2026

In August 2025, a North Korean interpreter traveling with a delegation from Pyongyang’s Academy of Social Sciences entered the South Korean embassy in Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia and asked to defect. — Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026

Priscilla Umana Umana works as an American Sign Language interpreter. — Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

When European explorers and soldier-surveyors inquired, African guides, interpreters and merchants described the road ahead and often drew these routes on the ground with a stick. — Thomas J Bassett, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 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