intercept

American  

[in-ter-sept, in-ter-sept] / ˌɪn tərˈsɛpt, ˈɪn tərˌsɛpt /

verb (used with object)

intercepts, present (3rd person singular) intercepted, past participle, past intercepting present participle

1. to take, seize, or halt (someone or something on the way from one place to another); cut off from an intended destination.

   to intercept a messenger.

2. to see or overhear (a message, transmission, etc., meant for another).

   We intercepted the enemy's battle plan.

3. to stop or check (passage, travel, etc.).

   to intercept the traitor's escape.

4. Sports. to take possession of (a ball or puck) during an attempted pass by an opposing team.

5. to stop or interrupt the course, progress, or transmission of.

6. to destroy or disperse (enemy aircraft or a missile or missiles) in the air on the way to a target.

7. to stop the natural course of (light, water, etc.).

8. Mathematics. to mark off or include, as between two points or lines.

9. to intersect.

10. Obsolete. to prevent or cut off the operation or effect of.

11. Obsolete. to cut off from access, sight, etc.

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noun

1. an interception.

2. Mathematics.

   1. an intercepted segment of a line.

   2. (in a coordinate system) the distance from the origin to the point at which a curve or line intersects an axis.

intercept British  

verb

1. to stop, deflect, or seize on the way from one place to another; prevent from arriving or proceeding

2. sport to seize or cut off (a pass) on its way from one opponent to another

3. maths to cut off, mark off, or bound (some part of a line, curve, plane, or surface)

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noun

1. maths

   1. a point at which two figures intersect

   2. the distance from the origin to the point at which a line, curve, or surface cuts a coordinate axis

   3. an intercepted segment

2. sport the act of intercepting an opponent's pass

intercept Scientific  

/ ĭn′tər-sĕpt′ /

1. In a Cartesian coordinate system, the coordinate of a point at which a line, curve, or surface intersects a coordinate axis. If a curve intersects the x-axis at (4,0), then 4 is the curve's x-intercept; if the curve intersects the y-axis at (0,2), then 2 is its y-intercept.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interception
  noun
• noninterceptive
  adjective
• interceptive
  adjective
• unintercepting
  adjective
• nonintercepting
  adjective
• unintercepted
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have intercepted
  perfect
• has intercepted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• has been intercepting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been intercepting
  perfect progressive
• is intercepting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• intercepts
  singular 3rd person
• are intercepting
  progressive
• intercepting
  participle
• am intercepting
  progressive 1st person singular

Past

• had intercepted
  perfect
• were intercepting
  progressive plural
• had been intercepting
  perfect progressive
• intercepted
  simple
• intercepted
  participle
• was intercepting
  progressive singular

Future

• will intercept
  simple
• will have intercepted
  perfect
• will have been intercepting
  perfect progressive
• will be intercepting
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of intercept

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin interceptus, past participle of intercipere “to intercept,” equivalent to inter- “between, among, together” + -cep- (combining form of cap-, stem of capere “to take”) + -tus past participle suffix; see inter-; cf. incipient

Explanation

When you intercept a pass in football, you grab the ball that your opponent had thrown to a member of his own team. To intercept is to stop something from reaching its intended destination. If a national intelligence agency intercepts a telephone call being sent from one terrorist cell to another, they stop the message and also learn a bit about what's going on in the terrorist world. If you're planning a surprise party for your friend and she arrives a half hour early, you might run to intercept her while everyone rushes to hide.

Example Sentences

The messages are sent as part of Project Intercept, a partnership between the child protection charity and technology firms including Google, TikTok and Meta.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

As reported by the Intercept, the account has stopped marking Islamic holidays and other widely observed non-Christian religious observances.

From Salon • May 5, 2026

Dr. DeVita, who consults for NYU Technology Opportunities & Ventures' Therapeutics Alliances and for Intercept Therapeutics, was compensated for his involvement.

From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2025

So did the time he tried to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in 1969 during Operation Intercept, a Nixon administration initiative that required the Border Patrol to search nearly every car.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2025

"Intercept velocity will be eleven meters per second . . . ," she began.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Related Words

• ambush
• arrest
• block
• catch
• cut off
• deflect
• hijack
• prevent
• seize
• stop
• take away