insider

Everyday

1. An insider is a person who belongs to a group, club, company or organisation and so knows how it works and what is happening inside it. tree →
2. Insider information is secret knowledge that only people inside a group have. tree →

In the lessons

In news and history lessons «insiders» are the people who know secrets; in detective stories the thief may be «an insider» who worked at the bank. In money and law, «insider trading» is using secret company information to buy or sell shares, which is a crime. Phrases: an insider's view, an insider job, insider tips, insider trading.

Examples

• The police think the robbery was an inside job, done by an insider. tree →
• Grandad was a football insider: he knew all the players. tree →
• A theatre insider told us how the scenery is moved. tree →
• The book gives an insider's view of life in the palace. tree →
• New pupils can feel like outsiders until they make friends and become insiders. tree →
• Using insider information to buy shares is against the law. tree →

Note

Countable: an insider, insiders. Use «an». Opposite: outsider (someone who does not belong or is not part of the group). «An inside job» means a crime done with help from someone inside.