interfere
Americanverb (used without object)
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interferes,
present (3rd person singular)
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interfered,
past participle, past
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interfering
present participle
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to come into opposition, as one thing with another, especially with the effect of hampering action or procedure (often followed bywith ).
Constant distractions interfere with work.
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to take part in the affairs of others; meddle (often followed by with orin ).
to interfere in another's life.
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(of things) to strike against each other, or one against another, so as to hamper or hinder action; come into physical collision.
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to interpose or intervene for a particular purpose.
- Synonyms:
- intercede
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to strike one foot or leg against another in moving, as a horse.
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Sports.
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to obstruct the action of an opposing player in a way barred by the rules.
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Football. to run interference for a teammate carrying the ball.
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Physics. to cause interference.
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to clash; come in collision; be in opposition.
The claims of two nations may interfere.
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Law. to claim earlier invention when several patent requests for the same invention are being filed.
verb phrase
verb
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(often foll by in) to interpose, esp meddlesomely or unwarrantedly; intervene
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(often foll by with) to come between or in opposition; hinder; obstruct
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euphemistic (foll by with) to assault sexually
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to strike one against the other, as a horse's legs
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physics to cause or produce interference
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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interferernoun
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interferingadjective
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noninterferingadjective
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interferinglyadverb
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noninterferinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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interferesimple
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interferessimple
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have interferedperfect
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has interferedperfect
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am interferingprogressive
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are interferingprogressive
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is interferingprogressive
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have been interferingperfect progressive
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has been interferingperfect progressive
Past
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interferedsimple
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had interferedperfect
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was interferingprogressive
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were interferingprogressive
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had been interferingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of interfere
First recorded in 1520–30; inter- + -fere (from Latin ferīre “to strike”); modeled on Middle French s'entreferir
Explanation
To interfere is to try to stop something from happening. If you get into a fight on the street, people passing by might try to interfere so no one gets hurt. Many countries resent it when other countries interfere (get involved) in their internal affairs, just as people often dislike it when others interfere in their personal affairs. In this sense interfere is the opposite of minding one's business. On airplanes you're not allowed to use cellphones because, it's said, they interfere with the plane’s navigational systems.
Vocabulary lists containing interfere
Power Prefix: inter-
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"Fears and Phobias," Vocabulary from the article
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Earlier, the interior ministry said security agencies had arrested several suspects accused of plotting to interfere with the electoral system.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
It added that the technology does not interfere at all with heart activity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
A new moon means moonlight should not interfere with viewing, creating favourable conditions if skies remain clear.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Current approaches to sleep problems, including medication and behavioral therapy, may cause side effects or may not directly address the underlying factors that interfere with REM sleep.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Shoes would interfere with her conversation, for she constantly addresses the ground under her feet.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
And both have their reasons for rejecting science that interferes with their own interests.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
If investors conclude for themselves that having a high concentration of individual stocks interferes with their goals, they might forgo this approach.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
They said that caffeine could affect the results, and gel interferes with the electrodes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
They found that the molecule interferes with a signaling process involved in inositol phosphate metabolism, leading to lower levels of a molecule known as IP6.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
Like the dinitros, it interferes, often fatally, with the body’s source of energy, so that the affected organism almost literally burns itself up.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Those green ecosystems are far different from California’s; our neighbor’s fires generally arise in massive boreal forests, which do not have debris or brush concerns because they’ve never been logged or otherwise interfered with.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
A median of 75% felt that the US interfered in the affairs of other countries a great deal or a fair amount, while 45% said the same of China.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Internal affairs of employers and labor organizations must not be interfered with except to the limited extent that correction is required in discrimination practices.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
The Civil Guard released a rare statement on Thursday evening denying that Gonzalez ever "participated in any operation against any Civil Guard unit" or "interfered in any investigation performed by" its officers.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Under cover of her furious criticisms of Firenze, Harry drew closer to Hermione and said, “Let’s get something straight. Are you planning to tell Ron that you interfered at Keeper tryouts?”
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
The veteran manager said that his former boss became increasingly interfering during his first spell at the club, including pushing for the signing of Andriy Shevchenko.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
"That suggests it may one day be possible to target the side-effects without interfering with the cardiovascular benefits that make statins so valuable."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
This past weekend’s “CBS Sunday Morning” featured a segment from national security correspondent David Martin about the Department of Defense interfering with the editorial independence of Stars & Stripes, the military newspaper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
In a novel full of insufferable characters interfering with romantic soulmates, Mary commits the sins of both pedantry and priggishness.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
“Your conscience is interfering with your memory. Remember the terms of our deal, Helvar.”
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
