interlocutor

American  

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

noun

• interlocutors
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• interlocutress
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• interlocutors
  plural

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

See Examples For:

interlocutor interlocutors

In a combative setting, Vance can dismantle an argument, redirect a question and put his interlocutor on the defensive.

From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026

Langbein’s Monica — having finally transcended her past and ascended to spiritual omniscience — becomes Jean’s interlocutor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

“This effort suggests that they no longer trust Rubio to be a dispassionate interlocutor and want to appeal directly to the president to resolve the escalating crisis.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 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

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

In February, the Miami Herald listed her as one of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's interlocutors, along with Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, grandson of former president Raul Castro.

From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026

They can also demand passwords from suspects’ interlocutors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

What Homan lacks in eloquence—he frequently slurs his words and can be hard to understand—he makes up for with a savant’s command of names and numbers and a willingness to shout down interlocutors.

From Slate ● Jan. 20, 2025

His European interlocutors nodded but without much evident enthusiasm.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2024

That’s how we pick up accents— sometimes to the extent that our interlocutors think they’re being mocked—and how we lose them.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith