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
Pam Freir2
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
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
Given that sign language is by no means universal, interpreters speak different dialects for the U.S., Canada, Mexico and so on.
—Alan Schwarz, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Thousands of Afghan allies, including interpreters who supported U.S. forces, were left behind in a country swiftly overtaken by the Taliban.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
His name was soon cleared by authorities, who charged and convicted Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in federal court with surreptitiously stealing more than $17 million from the Dodgers superstar to pay off an Orange County bookmaker.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
As a historical interpreter, McKnight dresses in the types of clothing that African Americans, both enslaved and free, wore in the antebellum South, and on through the late 1800s.
—Jaha Nailah Avery, Essence, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for interpreter
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Alan Schwarz, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Thousands of Afghan allies, including interpreters who supported U.S. forces, were left behind in a country swiftly overtaken by the Taliban.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
His name was soon cleared by authorities, who charged and convicted Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in federal court with surreptitiously stealing more than $17 million from the Dodgers superstar to pay off an Orange County bookmaker.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
As a historical interpreter, McKnight dresses in the types of clothing that African Americans, both enslaved and free, wore in the antebellum South, and on through the late 1800s.
—Jaha Nailah Avery, Essence, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for interpreter
Cite this Entry
“Interpreter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interpreter. Accessed 22 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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