intrude

verb

in·​trude in-ˈtrüd 

intruded; intruding

intransitive verb

1

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

2

: to enter as a geologic 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

intruder noun

Synonyms of intrude

• interrupt

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

No rude reality intrudes on Avedon’s dream city, where the women are beautiful and in love and even the bystanders are charmed. — Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026

This week, an ethical question, of all things, intruded into the baseball playoffs. — Scott Simon, NPR, 10 Oct. 2026

Nathalia Acevedo’s film transforms the salon into a liminal space where memory, imagination and time converge, gradually allowing the outside world to intrude. — Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

OpenAI models broke out of testing environments, gained access to the open internet, and intruded into Hugging Face’s computer systems. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin intrudere to thrust in, from in- + trudere to thrust — more at threat

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for intrude

• accrued
• allude
• collude
• conclude
• construed
• debuted
• delude
• elude
• endued
• ensued
• eschewed
• etude

Kids Definition

intrude

verb

in·​trude in-ˈtrüd 

intruded; intruding

1

: to bring or force in unasked

2

: to come or go in without invitation

intruder noun

Legal Definition

intrude

verb

in·​trude in-ˈtrüd 

intruded; intruding

intransitive verb

1

: to enter by intrusion

2

: encroach

a search that intrudes on a person's privacy

transitive verb

: to encroach on or upon without permission or right

intruder noun