What it means
A gatecrasher is the one who turns up at a party they were never invited to, slipping past the door, blending into the crowd and helping themselves to the buffet like they belong there. Sometimes it's a cheeky mate of a mate, sometimes a total stranger, but they've got the nerve to crash the gate and act like the guest of honour.
Usage examples
"Half the people at that wedding were gatecrashers, nobody knew who they were."
"He's a notorious gatecrasher, somehow ends up at every launch party in town."
"Some random gatecrasher rolled into the house party, grabbed a drink, and started chatting like he'd been on the invite list all week."
"Don't let that gatecrasher fool you, nobody here actually knows him and he's already eyeing up the food table."
Where it comes from
Recorded in English since the 1920s, gatecrasher grew out of the literal idea of someone crashing past the gate and getting into an event uninvited. It first stuck to party and social scenes, then spread wider for anyone who breezes into a place they weren't asked to be.
