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interfere definition

in·ter·fere (in′tər fir′)

intransitive verb interfered -·fered′, interfering -·fer′·ing

  1. to knock one foot or leg against the other: said of a horse
  2. to come into collision or opposition; clash; conflict
    1. to come in or between for some purpose; intervene
    2. to meddle
  4. Sports to be guilty of interference
  5. Patent Law to claim priority for an invention, as when two or more applications for its patent are pending
  6. Physics to affect each other by interference: said of two waves or streams of vibration
  7. Radio, TV, etc. to create interference in reception

Etymology: OFr (s')entreferir, to strike (each other) < entre-, inter- + férir < L ferire, to strike < IE base *bher- > bore

Related Forms:

interfere Idioms

interfere with

to hinder

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

interfere Synonyms

interfere

v.

  1. To meddle

    intervene, interpose, interlope; see meddle 1.

  2. To prevent

    impede, stop, oppose, conflict; see hinder, prevent.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

interfere Usage Examples

Preposition: with

  • sett: Section 3 of that Act currently makes it an offense to interfere with badger setts.

Modifying Another Word

  • destructively: Where the waves have opposite amplitudes they destructively interfere to give low intensity.

Preposition: in

  • running: They did not interfere in the running of services, which is the responsibility of providers.
  • affair: The British, then, to a certain extent, were desirous of interfering in the internal affairs of the Maldives.
interfere usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"interfere." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/interfere>

APA Style

interfere. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/interfere

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