Meanings
plural interlopers
- One who interferes, intrudes, or gets involved where not welcome; particularly, a self-interested intruder.First known use 1630s
They disliked the interloper, and forced him to leave.
1 more example
In a button-up plaid shirt with an unwieldly suitcase, he is an interloper from another world – one whose first social faux pas is to make his way slowly through the various gates and arrive at the imposing front door on foot, rather than wait to be picked up from the train station by a servant.
2023 November 13, Rosalind Jana, “Saltburn and the bizarre life of Britain's stately homes”, in BBC
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsomeone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From inter- + loper (“runner, rover”), as in landloper (“vagrant”) (from lope (“to leap, to jump”) (originally dialectal)). Originally spelt enterloper and used in specific sense, “unauthorized trader trespassing on privileges of chartered companies”, later general sense of “self-interested intruder” from 1630s.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch indringer
- indringerone who interferes
Finnish tungettelija, tunkeilija
- tungettelijaone who interferes
- tunkeilijaone who interferes
French intrus
- intrusone who interferes
German Eindringling
- Eindringlingone who interferes
Hungarian betolakodó
- betolakodóone who interferes
Icelandic boðflenna, aðskotadýr
- boðflennaone who interferes
- aðskotadýrone who interferes
Italian intruso
- intrusoone who interferes
Japanese 闖入者
- 闖入者 (chinnyūsha)one who interferes
Māori kaiauwaha, kaihūrau
- kaiauwahaone who interferes
- kaihūrauone who interferes
Norwegian Bokmål inntrenger
- inntrengerone who interferes
Polish natręt
- natrętone who interferes
Spanish intruso, entremetido
- intrusoone who interferes
- entremetidoone who interferes
- entrometidoone who interferes
- detentadorone who interferes
Swedish inkräktare
- inkräktareone who interferes
Cite this entry
interloper. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/interloper
“interloper.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/interloper. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “interloper,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/interloper.
Source: interloper on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.