What does trespasser mean?
A trespasser is a person who enters someone else's land or property without permission, or who figuratively intrudes on another person's rights, privacy, territory, or boundaries. Its clearest legal sense involves unauthorized entry onto land, though the word is also used more broadly in discussions of privacy, workplace roles, and social boundaries. For example, a person found on restricted property may be called a trespasser, while someone who examines another person's private correspondence may be described as a figurative trespasser. The term generally carries a negative or disapproving connotation because it suggests that the person has crossed a limit without invitation or authorization. It is more formal and specific than the general word intruder, which can describe anyone who enters unexpectedly, and more pointed than visitor, which implies welcome or legitimate access.
nounA trespasser is a person who enters another's land or property without permission, or more broadly someone who intrudes on rights, boundaries, or accepted limits. The word can also refer figuratively to a person who exceeds their proper role or oversteps a boundary.
- A person who enters land or property without the owner's permission.
- A person who intrudes on someone's privacy, rights, or territory.
- A person who exceeds the limits of their role or oversteps an ethical, legal, or social boundary.
"The security guard asked the trespasser to leave the restricted grounds."
"A trespasser was removed from the construction site after ignoring the warning signs."
"Her comment about her colleague's finances made her seem like a trespasser in someone else's private affairs."
The regular plural adds -s to the singular noun.
"Several trespassers were asked to leave the property."
A trespasser is, quite literally, someone who has crossed a boundary without permission—and the word can describe either a physical intrusion or a social overreach.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does trespasser come from?
The word comes through medieval English from an Anglo-French and Old French form related to trespass. Its ultimate Latin elements are trans-, meaning “across,” and passus, meaning “stepped” or “passed,” reflecting the original sense of stepping or passing beyond what is permitted. Modern English developed both the abstract noun trespass and the agent noun trespasser, with related forms such as transgression and transgressive belonging to the same etymological family.
How trespasser is actually used
The word is formal in legal contexts and strongly negative in general use. In law, trespass does not necessarily mean a serious crime, although unauthorized entry may also carry criminal consequences under local law. Figurative uses emphasize an unwelcome or inappropriate intrusion.
Easily confused with trespasser
Trespass is the act of entering property without permission or otherwise violating someone's rights, whereas a trespasser is the person who commits that act.