intrude

verb

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in·trude | \ in-ˈtrüd

intruded; intruding

Definition of intrude

intransitive verb

1 : to thrust oneself in without invitation, permission, or welcome

2 : to enter as a geological intrusion

transitive verb

1 : to thrust or force in or upon someone or something especially without permission, welcome, or fitness intruded himself into their lives

2 : to cause to enter as if by force

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Examples of intrude in a Sentence

Excuse me, sir. I don't mean to intrude, but you have a phone call. Would I be intruding if I came along with you? The plane intruded into their airspace. Reporters constantly intruded into the couple's private life. He didn't want to intrude upon their conversation.

Recent Examples on the Web Yet humans continue to intrude, as illustrated by Michael Marks’s print of mountaintop-removal mining and Laura Ahola-Young’s drawing, incised into a sea-and-sky scene, of undersea oil-drilling gear. — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, "In the galleries: ‘Habitats’ at Target Gallery showcases the nature of creativity," 6 Sep. 2019 This system was still deterministic, with no random chance intruding between one moment and the next. — Joshua Sokol, WIRED, "These Hidden Women Helped Invent Chaos Theory," 26 May 2019 But, like Allen, Dave Wommack doesn’t intrude too much on his son’s work. — Zach Osterman, Indianapolis Star, "Why Kane Wommack is the man Tom Allen handpicked to run IU's defense," 6 Sep. 2019 The US Central Command confirmed the incident but denied that the aircraft was intruding on Iranian airspace. — Martin Finucane, BostonGlobe.com, "Here’s what you need to know about US-Iran tensions after a US drone was shot down Thursday," 20 June 2019 Rivers and aquifers are also being contaminated by intruding seawater, which poisons protective wetlands and mangroves—and even coastal crops—from the roots up. — Charlie Schmidt, Scientific American, "New Elevation Measure Shows Climate Change Could Quickly Swamp the Mekong Delta," 28 Aug. 2019 Mighty Joe stretched out one of her eight arms and touched the intruding object, cautiously exploring its surface with her suckers. — Tik Root, Time, "Inside the Race to Build the World's First Commercial Octopus Farm," 21 Aug. 2019 Every day, around the clock, Japan scrambles fighter jets and dispatches coast guard vessels to counter some new Chinese provocation and ward off the intruding boats and planes. — Washington Post, "Japan builds an ‘island wall’ to counter China’s intensifying military, territorial incursions," 21 Aug. 2019 Eventually, though, Rick blows a line and the reality of his job intrudes. — Jesse Hassenger, The Verge, "Quentin Tarantino’s historical revisionism makes his movies better suited for the future," 1 Aug. 2019

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