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What is the word for "attend a party or event without being invited"? I read it some time back but can not recollect it.

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6 Answers

up vote 59 down vote accepted

Gatecrashing is the most common term I've heard:

To attend a social event without having been invited, or without having paid.

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@Anji thefreedictionary.com/gatecrashing?p – Rauf Jul 15 '11 at 5:36
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...typically abbreviated to crashing (as several answered below). – T.E.D. Jul 15 '11 at 12:53
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Yeah, I don't think anyone I know actually uses gatecrashing. They just say crashing. But I do believe this is the origin. – MrHen Jul 15 '11 at 12:55
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@MrHen Gatecrashing is quite commonly used in the circles I keep. – David Heffernan Jul 15 '11 at 21:15
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@shinynewbike Thank you. That's the word I was searching for. – Anji Jul 18 '11 at 3:31
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up vote 4 down vote

That person would be characterized as an "interloper".

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That's a good one, but I think the OP is looking for a verb. Make sure your answer hits the point of the question. – simchona♦ Jul 15 '11 at 4:41
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Easy then, interlope! – F'x Jul 15 '11 at 14:40
I think interloper is someone who interferes in another person's conversation. – SidCool Jul 15 '11 at 21:27
@Daronte Thank you. I was asking about the act of attending a party or event without being called. Anyways I got to know one more word :) – Anji Jul 18 '11 at 3:33
up vote 31 down vote

The term I hear most often is crash:

We're going to crash the party

We're here to crash the party!

Let's crash the party...

My local dictionary offers this:

crash — [informal] enter (a party) without an invitation or permission.

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Doesn't the term "party crasher" have a negative connotation of ruining the event? Uninvited guests don't always have negative intentions (e.g., anonymous socializing). – Randolf Richardson Jul 15 '11 at 6:53
Whether somebody gatecrashing or 'crashing' a party ruins it is probably more down to their actions once they arrive and the host's view on the matter than the mere fact they arrived uninvited. Although social etiquette would probably dictate that any uninvited guests are inherently unwelcome. – Caltor Jul 15 '11 at 11:12
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No - a crasher is just someone who attends without an invitation. – Rory Alsop Jul 15 '11 at 12:40
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I also thought it had a negative connotation of ruining the event. @Randolf – endolith Jul 15 '11 at 14:25
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I think a lot of the negative connotations of "crashing a party" have to do with the fact that if someone attends a party uninvited, and is not disruptive, it doesn't provide anything to talk about. Non-disruptive party crashing may very well be a silent majority. – Fake Name Jul 16 '11 at 11:20
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up vote 1 down vote

Are you looking for a word to describe the person who is attending uninvited, or are you looking for a word to describe the act of attending a party uninvited?

One who attends a party uninvited could be committing a "faux pas", which means a "violation of social norms or etiquette."

But the words that can be used for describing a person who commits these types of social blunders are plentiful... depending on how harsh or kind you are looking to be in portraying the person's wrongdoing.

To tag-along to a party uninvited might work. Crash the party also works beautifully.

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...but, a Douglas Adams' story character (such as Zaphod Beeblebrox) could be a "faux pas." ;-) – Randolf Richardson Jul 15 '11 at 18:39
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@Rachel thank you. The word I was looking for is 'gatecrash' – Anji Jul 18 '11 at 3:35
up vote 1 down vote

"Uninvited guest" seems to be a good description for such an obtrusion, although it is two words (could that work for you?).

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It doesn't necessarily have a negative connotation. When I've heard people use the expression, or when I've said it myself, it generally just means to show up spontaneously. Perhaps the connotation has changed over the past decade or so; I remember equating it with party-ruining some time long ago. Perhaps it still has the negative connotation, but now people are using it ironically to mean that they're showing up without invitation but that they aren't going to destroy the place in stereotypical teen movie fashion. – strangeronyourtrain Jul 15 '11 at 9:41
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@strangeronyourtrain: I believe "uninvited guest" is fairly close to neutral, although slightly down on the negative side because "uninvited" would be more likely to represent a potential "inconvenience" (e.g., not enough beer for every attendee). – Randolf Richardson Jul 15 '11 at 18:42
@strangeronyourtrain: Perhaps there are different localized expectations in play? If I was organizing a party and I found out that someone was planning to "be a party crasher" (as I suspect is the term you're referring to), my immediate mental image would be of some jerks sneaking into the party, pushing guests around, knocking over furniture, throwing food and drinks, and even vandalizing the facility (e.g., ripping down curtains, damaging furniture, smashing windows, punching holes in the walls, etc.). – Randolf Richardson Jul 15 '11 at 18:53
up vote 1 down vote

"Crash" seems to be what you're looking for.

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