Intrude: meaning, definitions and examples

Used when someone enters a place or situation where they are not wanted or welcome. It can be physical or metaphorical.

• I didn't mean to intrude on your meeting.
• Noise from the street intruded into our conversation.

Refers to unwanted or unnecessary involvement in someone else's affairs, often causing problems or delays.

• Don't interfere with their decision.
• He tends to interfere in other people's business.

Specifically used when someone unlawfully enters someone else's property. It has a legal connotation.

• The sign warned people not to trespass.
• He was caught trespassing on private property.

Used legally or formally when someone violates a law or someone's rights.

• The company was fined for infringing copyright laws.
• New regulations don't infringe on individual freedoms.

Implies gradual or stealthy movement that invades someone's territory, rights, or time. Often involves rights or physical boundaries.

• The forest is slowly encroaching upon the farmland.
• He didn't want work to encroach on his family time.

Use when describing someone who enters a place or situation where they are not wanted or do not belong, often disrupting it.

• She didn't want to intrude on their private conversation
• He felt guilty about intruding into her personal affairs

Used when someone enters another's property without permission, often with a negative connotation.

• The sign warned trespassers to keep out
• The farmer caught the trespasser in his field

Typically used in a more formal or literary context to describe someone who becomes involved in a place or situation where they are not wanted or do not belong.

• He was viewed as an interloper in the close-knit community
• She felt like an interloper at the exclusive event

Used to describe someone who shows up to an event or gathering without being invited, typically in social settings.

• An uninvited guest appeared at the wedding reception
• He felt awkward as an uninvited guest at the party