interpreter

noun

in·​ter·​pret·​er in-ˈtər-prə-tər 

-pə-

plural interpreters

1

: someone or something that interprets: such as

a

: someone who translates for individuals or groups conversing in different languages

an interpreter at the United Nations

a sign language interpreter

b

: someone who explains or expounds

Aside from his Nobel Prize-winning work on quantum electrodynamics (don't ask), [Richard P.] Feynman was an interpreter of Maya hieroglyphics …

—Pam Freir

2

a

: a machine that prints on punch cards the symbols recorded in them by perforations

b

: a computer program that executes each of a set of high-level instructions before going to the next instruction

Synonyms

• exponent
• expounder
• guru
• high priest
• practitioner

Examples of interpreter in a Sentence

He has now learned English well enough that he can conduct interviews without an interpreter.

Monet is generally regarded as the foremost interpreter of pure impressionism.

Recent Examples on the Web

Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, is accused of embezzling more than $16 million from the MLB star to repay his gambling debts. —Matt Rybaltowski, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

The school district hired several English as-a-second-language teachers and Haitian Creole interpreters as the number of students rose from 200 to 1,200 in two years. —Maria Ramirez Uribe and Amy Sherman, Journal Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024

But that’s almost my job as an interpreter, as an actor, is to do it like that. —Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 16 Dec. 2024

For example, viewers can find episodes of Arthur with an ASL interpreter, something PBS KIDS has been aiming for, for years. —Jaclyn Greenberg, Parents, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing interpreter

• through an interpreter

Kids Definition

interpreter

noun

in·​ter·​pret·​er in-ˈtər-prət-ər 

1

: one that interprets

especially : a person who translates orally for people speaking different languages

2

: a computer program that translates an instruction into machine language and executes it before going to the next instruction