intrude
Americanverb (used with object)
-
intrudes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
intruded,
past participle, past
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intruding
present participle
-
to thrust or bring in without invitation, permission, or welcome.
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Geology. to thrust or force into.
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to install (a cleric) in a church contrary to the wishes of its members.
verb (used without object)
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intrudes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
intruded,
past participle, past
-
intruding
present participle
verb
-
to put forward or interpose (oneself, one's views, something) abruptly or without invitation
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geology to force or thrust (rock material, esp molten magma) or (of rock material) to be thrust between solid rocks
Synonym Usage
See trespass.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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intrudernoun
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self-intrudernoun
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unintrudedadjective
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unintrudingadjective
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intrudinglyadverb
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unintrudinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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intrudesimple
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intrudessimple
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have intrudedperfect
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has intrudedperfect
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am intrudingprogressive
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are intrudingprogressive
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is intrudingprogressive
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have been intrudingperfect progressive
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has been intrudingperfect progressive
Past
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intrudedsimple
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had intrudedperfect
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was intrudingprogressive
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were intrudingprogressive
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had been intrudingperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing intrude
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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Tears of a Tiger
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The Pigman
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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:
"The court does not intrude on parliament by ensuring parliament can sit," the judgement said.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
The Code of Fundraising Practice stipulates that charities should not unreasonably intrude on a person's privacy, put undue pressure on a person to donate, or use unreasonably persistent approaches.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026
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
These thoughts even intrude on him when he’s reading for fun—or trying to.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2025
“Madame,” said I, ”’twas far from our intention to intrude upon the grief of any; but believing the house unoccupied, we wished to take shelter here for a few hours before resuming our journey.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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
Modern observations show that parts of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet -- such as the Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers -- are already retreating rapidly as warm deep water intrudes beneath them.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2025
They are living ghosts, traumatized survivors of a school shooting that occurred 10 years earlier, but the memory of which intrudes like an unwelcome guest on a wedding celebration taking place in the present.
From Seattle Times ● May 28, 2024
But time intrudes and the Zenyatta story has drifted off, needing a milestone to rekindle the memories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 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
It alleged the Easy Switch tool intruded into AT&T’s computer systems and violated its terms of service “to harvest private customer account information and AT&T business information.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 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
When more theatrical elements come into play — such as the Mexican flower lady crying, “Flores para los Muertos” — the staging feels almost intruded upon by an extraneous sensibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2024
But one way is, has it intruded upon your imagination?
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
The girl who’d intruded on her sanctuary looked to be about thirteen, like Akira.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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
His reign at the 7-Eleven empire came to an end in 2016, when he resigned following a boardroom clash with U.S. investor Third Point, a rare example of U.S.-style shareholder activism intruding into Japanese boardrooms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
There are so many negatives intruding that investors would be lucky to escape the coming year in one piece.
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
“We’re not trying to be annoying to you or intruding to you or in any way making your life worse,” Hahn said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025
My siblings stood in a loose half circle around the room, facing the four intruding adults: three large, unfamiliar men, plus a woman I’d seen before, from the welfare office.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
