Definition of INTERLOPER

interloper

Plural: interlopers

Noun

  • someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
  • One who interferes, intrudes or gets involved where not welcome, particularly a self-interested intruder.
  • An unlicensed or illegitimate trader.

Examples

  • They disliked the interloper, and forced him to leave.

Origin / Etymology

1590s, 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.

Synonyms

intruder, trespasser

Scrabble Score: 12

interloper: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
interloper: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
interloper: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

interloper: valid Words With Friends Word