Synonyms

intrude

American

[in-trood] / ɪnˈtrud /

verb (used with object)

to thrust or bring in without invitation, permission, or welcome.
Geology. to thrust or force into.
to install (a cleric) in a church contrary to the wishes of its members.

verb (used without object)

to thrust oneself without permission or welcome.

to intrude upon their privacy.

Synonyms:

interlope, interfere

intrude British

/ ɪnˈtruːd /

verb

to put forward or interpose (oneself, one's views, something) abruptly or without invitation
geology to force or thrust (rock material, esp molten magma) or (of rock material) to be thrust between solid rocks

"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

Synonym Usage

See trespass.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of intrude

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin intrūdere “to push in,” equivalent to in- in- ² + trūdere “to push”

Explanation

When someone says, “I hate to intrude, but…” you can bet she is in fact going to interrupt your conversation or insert her opinion, even though it isn’t wanted. House burglars also intrude, but they don’t usually announce it first. People can intrude in different ways, but it is usually uninvited and also unwelcome. This verb is derived from the Latin, intrudere, in which the in- means “into” and -trudere means, “to thrust.” So people can in intrude by thrusting or forcing themselves into your private life, your personal body space, or your home. Loud music could intrude into your studying. A memory could intrude while you are trying to focus on texting a message.

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Vocabulary lists containing intrude

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

intrude intrudes intruded intruding

"The court does not intrude on parliament by ensuring parliament can sit," the judgement said.

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

Saber-rattling trumpet and timpani intrude and are shushed away as worthless.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026

"It's fine. If they want to keep doing it, they are all polite and don't intrude on our personal space. We have a job to do, they have a job to do."

From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025

Woodward decision established clear limits on state power to intrude on private corporations, strengthening corporate rights and autonomy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2025

She and Taisin halted their horses some distance back, not wanting to intrude on their reunion.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

There are, in fact, very few places where the 21st century intrudes, save for a flat screen TV or two and the kitchen’s plumbed, built-in Miele coffee system.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The "Jerk" method identifies extremely small ground motions that occur when magma intrudes into the crust.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2026

Anderson plays the children's mother, whose presence intrudes into the family's lives despite her apparently having been killed by wolves.

From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026

As the sea intrudes, salt ruins the crop.

From Seattle Times ● May 21, 2023

But then the Doctorita intrudes on my fantasy, barging into my dream house and flipping off the stereo.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

The Kim regime seethed when, on four different occasions between September and January, drones intruded into North Korea’s airspace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026

This signal confirmed that magma had intruded beneath the volcano.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2026

At the same time, the saxophonist had brought his own laptop that produced anodyne drones that intruded on Stone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025

The 1859 "pig dispute" involved contested islands near Vancouver and the unfortunate shooting of a British hog that had intruded on an American's garden.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2025

It smelled wonderful too, and as Anya struggled to keep herself from openly drooling over the food, she found herself realizing they might be celebrating something she had intruded upon.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

But make-believe can only get one so far when the real world keeps intruding.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

In the town of Grevena further to the south, 48‑year‑old Lefteris Zioutis regularly posts images of intruding bears on social media.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

The way everyone responded to this error—by turning a simple mistake into a ritual flogging—only bolsters the toxic notion that the press is forever viciously intruding on the secret, sacred work of perfect jurists.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

The characters in her novels long for stability in landscapes where the past is forever intruding on the present—they teeter on the shifting border between perception and fact.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

Christopher felt suddenly he was intruding on something profoundly private.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023