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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 6

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69

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, 2011 at 5:36
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    ...typically abbreviated to crashing (as several answered below).
    – T.E.D.
    Jul 15, 2011 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, 2011 at 12:55
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    @MrHen Gatecrashing is quite commonly used in the circles I keep.
    – David Heffernan
    Jul 15, 2011 at 21:15
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    @MrHen, David, UK/US difference maybe? I (UK) would tend to say gatecrashing.
    – Benjol
    Aug 8, 2011 at 19:36
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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, 2011 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, 2011 at 11:12
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    No - a crasher is just someone who attends without an invitation.
    – Rory Alsop
    Jul 15, 2011 at 12:40
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    I also thought it had a negative connotation of ruining the event. @Randolf
    – endolith
    Jul 15, 2011 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, 2011 at 11:20
5

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, 2011 at 4:41
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    Easy then, interlope!
    – F'x
    Jul 15, 2011 at 14:40
  • I think interloper is someone who interferes in another person's conversation.
    – Sid
    Jul 15, 2011 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, 2011 at 3:33
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"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, 2011 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, 2011 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, 2011 at 18:53
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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, 2011 at 18:39
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    @Rachel thank you. The word I was looking for is 'gatecrash'
    – Anji
    Jul 18, 2011 at 3:35
-2

Intruder may be the choice you are looking for. I guess there are many more words you can use for it.

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    Hi user134427, welcome to the site! Can you please add a reference to comply with site conventions? It will make your answer more useful for readers in the future.
    – Bookeater
    Aug 18, 2015 at 20:18

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