insider

[in-sahy-der]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR insider ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who is a member of a group, organization, society, etc.

a person belonging to a limited circle of persons who understand the actual facts in a situation or share private knowledge: Insiders knew that the president would veto the bill.

a person who has some special advantage or influence.

a person in possession of corporate information not generally available to the public, as a director, an accountant, or other officer or employee of a corporation.

Origin of insider

First recorded in 1820–30; inside + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for insider

collaborator, conspirator, aide, associate, school, crowd, club, company, camp, society, fraternity, clique, party, ring, class, tribe, faction, sect, band, mob

Examples from the Web for insider

Contemporary Examples of insider

The family behind Sotto Sotto says that they plan to rebuild, but an insider tells me it may be a while.
The Fiery Death of Sotto Sotto, Toronto’s Celebrity Hotspot
Shinan Govani
December 30, 2014
“Ben, who was as cunning and seductive as Diane, really wooed Diane,” says an insider.
Katie Couric on Diane Sawyer: 'I Wonder Who She Blew This Time'
Lloyd Grove
August 27, 2014
This time around, though, Burnham was partnering with an insider.
Lake Bacon: The Story of The Man Who Wanted Us to Eat Mississippi Hippos
Jon Mooallem
August 10, 2014
“Kate had a huge go at him and told him he needed to behave,” an insider told The Sun.
Kate Moss Scolds Justin Bieber at Riccardo Tisci's Birthday Bash; Kate Middleton Makes Vanity Fair’s ‘Hall of Fame’
The Fashion Beast Team
August 6, 2014
INSIDER TIP: Anvil is not for the faint of wallet: fresh ingredients set imbibers back $8-$12 per cocktail.
Foodie Heaven in Houston
Michele Meyer
July 10, 2014

Historical Examples of insider

But then, you know, the insider sometimes has a better chance than the outsider.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes
Various
"Much better than for an insider, to all appearance," I replied.
Derrick Vaughan--Novelist
Edna Lyall
Hereafter, for at least seven years, the Federation was an "insider" in the national government.
A History of Trade Unionism in the United States
Selig Perlman
If the insider keeps his eyes wide open and waits long enough his chance will come.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes
Various
There are many other opportunities the Washington "insider" of speculative turn may use to advantage.
Frenzied Finance
Thomas W. Lawson

British Dictionary definitions for insider

insider

noun

a member of a specified group

a person with access to exclusive information

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for insider

"one in possession of special information by virtue of being within some organization," 1848, from inside + -er (1). Originally in reference to the stock markets.