kibitzer

noun

ˈki-bət-sər How to pronounce kibitzer (audio)
variants also kibbitzer
Definition of kibitzernext
as in intruder
a person who meddles in the affairs of others a nosy kibitzer who always knows who is dating whom

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of kibitzer At times, a dozen kibitzers looked on. — IEEE Spectrum, 11 Dec. 2025 Still, there are boundaries to keep the kibitzers out of the law library, operating room and locker room so the experts can get the job done. — Karla L. Miller, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Feb. 2023 These two teamed up on morning radio in 1946 to invent the celebrity-interview talk show, featuring a gamut of guests from Hollywood mermaid Esther Williams to kibitzer-to-presidents Bernard Baruch. — Edward Kosner, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2022 The problem is partly a failure to appreciate that the Radicals were kibitzers, as many legislators are. — Andrew Ferguson, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kibitzer
  1. intruder
  2. gossiper
  3. meddler
  4. interloper
  5. busybody
  6. buttinsky
  7. spy
  8. informer
Noun
  • This leaves even the most secure guest room doors vulnerable to intruders.
    — Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2026
  • An intruder spent about three hours inside a local hardware store in Monroe, Michigan, causing significant damage, putting on an employee's uniform, and eventually driving away in a company truck.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of intruder
Noun
  • Celebrity gossiper Rob Shuter reported that the two recently let go of a number of their staff.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Her staff figured out how to get rid of the gossiper.
    — Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2025
Definition of gossiper
Noun
  • Nelly herself is heavily reinterpreted by Fennell, imagined in this film as the illegitimate daughter of an aristocrat who serves as Cathy’s maid; the film also runs with modern readings of her character as a more proactive meddler in the doomed love between the main characters.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
  • The factory owners called her a meddler and insisted that the cost of protecting workers would destroy American industry.
    — Michelle A. Williams, STAT, 2 Feb. 2026
Definition of meddler
Noun
  • The interlopers were contrabandistas, Native Pacific Northwesterners brought by American merchants operating out of Hawaii and heading to the Mexican coast to hunt otters without a license.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 July 2026
  • Even stranger, after the interloper was apprehended, umpire Bill Miller used his field microphone to encourage Tigers fans to give the grounds crew a round of applause.
    — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of interloper
Noun
  • On 227, Williams starred as Lester Jenkins, who has his own construction company in support of his busybody wife, Mary (Gibbs), and their studious daughter, Brenda (Regina King).
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026
  • Since her ballerina kindergarten years, Sukihana—the rapper, reality television star, podcaster, and soon-to-be mom of four—has been a polymathic busybody.
    — Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of busybody
Noun
  • Rather, the story is set in motion by Kevin O’Neill (Rick Holmes), a private-equity manager and arrogant buttinsky who takes an interest in Cara.
    — Jesse Green, New York Times, 6 June 2018
Definition of buttinsky
Noun
  • During the first season of the Paramount+ spy thriller, the 34-year-old actress’ character, Cruz Manuelos, was mostly undercover.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Here’s a fish-out-of-water rom-com wedged into, um, a spy thriller about aliens in New Mexico.
    — EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of spy
Noun
  • One of State Security’s main goals, as well as a central source of its strength, is turning civilians into informers.
    — Abraham Jiménez Enoa, The Dial, 19 May 2026
  • And so every regime invests in having student informers.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of informer

Browse Nearby Words

kibitzed
kibitzer
kibitzers
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Kibitzer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kibitzer. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All