interlocutor

American  

[in-ter-lok-yuh-ter] / ˌɪn tərˈlɒk yə tər /

noun

1. a person who takes part in a conversation or dialogue.

2. the man in the middle of the line of performers in a minstrel troupe, who acts as the announcer and banters with the end men.

3. a person who questions; interrogator.

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interlocutor British  

/ ˌɪntəˈlɒkjʊtə /

noun

1. a person who takes part in a conversation

2. Also called: middleman.  the man in the centre of a troupe of minstrels who engages the others in talk or acts as announcer

3. Scots law a decree by a judge

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Other Word Forms

• interlocutress noun

Etymology

Origin of interlocutor

First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin interlocū-, variant stem of interloquī “to speak between” ( inter- inter- + loquī “to speak”) + -tor

Explanation

An interlocutor is someone who participates in a discussion or conversation, sometimes as a go-between. If you and your friend are in an argument and aren't speaking, a third friend could act as an interlocutor, delivering messages back and forth. Interlocutor traces back to the Latin word interloqui, meaning “to speak between.” We use interlocutor either for "a conversation partner," or for "a third party in a conversation," like a middleman who speaks on behalf of an organization. It's also an old term for the guy in a minstrel show who questions all the other performers as a way of moving the act forward. "What's that you say? A funky dance? Go on and show us then."

Example Sentences

What kind of prime minister will he be at home, or as an interlocutor for Hungary's allies abroad?

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

But I could see his interlocutor was completely ignoring him as he'd thought of his own killer point and couldn't wait to slam-dunk it.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

Now he wanted to ensure that his chief American interlocutor was someone he could easily manipulate.

From Slate • Dec. 22, 2025

No matter how advanced it becomes, or how plausible it is as a counselor or an interlocutor, its nature as a subsidiary creation renders it a tool, not a peer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

Mobile and flexible, it was never intended to be compressed in the eternal silence of solitude: it is a mouth which should speak much and smile often, and have human affection for its interlocutor.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë