# intrusion

/ˌɪnˈtɹuʒən/ (US) · /ɪntɹˈuːʒən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/intrusion
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. unwanted entry

noun · CEFR B2

the act of going into a place or situation where you are not invited or welcome.

For teachers: the act of entering a physical or metaphorical space without invitation or permission, often causing a disturbance.

- I felt that his constant questions were an intrusion into my private life.
- The sudden intrusion of the press into the family's private mourning sparked a national debate about media ethics and privacy laws.

Usage: Often used with the preposition 'into'.

### 2. unwanted thoughts

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a memory or thought that pops into your head even though you do not want it there.

For teachers: an involuntary and distressing thought, image, or memory that enters the consciousness and causes anxiety.

- She suffered from mental intrusions of the accident for several weeks.
- Clinical psychologists work with patients to manage cognitive intrusions that disrupt daily functioning and reinforce negative emotional states.

Usage: Commonly used in the context of trauma or anxiety disorders.

### 3. rock formation

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

liquid rock (magma) that is forced into existing cracks in other rocks.

For teachers: the process or result of magma being forced into preexisting rock formations and solidifying.

- The cliff face showed a dark intrusion of volcanic rock through the limestone.
- Geologists identified a massive granite intrusion that had altered the surrounding sedimentary layers through intense heat and pressure.

Usage: Usually refers to the rock body itself or the geological event.

### 4. added speech sound

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a sound that people add when speaking even though it is not in the spelling.

For teachers: the insertion of a phoneme into the pronunciation of a word or phrase that is not represented in its orthography.

- In some accents, the intrusion of an 'r' sound happens between two vowels.
- The researcher noted the frequent intrusion of a glottal stop in the local dialect, which served to separate adjacent vowel sounds across word boundaries.

Usage: Often used to describe the 'intrusive r' in certain English accents.

## Examples

- I apologize for the intrusion, but I have an urgent message.
- The constant noise from the nearby construction site felt like a physical intrusion into their quiet home life.
- While some argue that data collection improves user experience, others view the practice as a systematic intrusion into personal privacy that undermines the fundamental right to digital anonymity.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.