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:
Even relatively weak signals generated by human technology can interfere with radio observations, so limiting these disturbances helps astronomers detect faint emissions traveling across space.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
Michael Krivor, a marine archaeologist on the trip, said he is currently concerned about a weather pattern traveling from east to west that could interfere with "safe transit in and out of the blasted channels".
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
This condition occurs when repeated or ongoing liver damage leads to the accumulation of scar tissue, which can interfere with the organ's ability to function properly.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
It also enables researchers to explore two potential therapeutic approaches designed to interfere with aggregation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
He was determined to persuade Mullet Fingers that he was someone to be trusted, that he hadn’t come to interfere but rather to help, if Mullet Fingers needed it.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
A study published in 2025 in the Journal of Economic Entomology showed that bistrifluron, an insect growth regulator that interferes with the formation of a new exoskeleton, can kill western drywood termites with remarkable efficiency.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
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
If the weather interferes with your chances of seeing the Strawberry Moon tonight, do not worry as there are more opportunities to see full Moons this summer.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
In 1801 a British scientist discovered that light interferes with itself, apparently putting the matter to rest once and for all.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
As a result, the two paths interfered destructively, meaning their quantum contributions canceled each other out.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
A fan clad in a midnight-blue Yankees jacket had reached over the wall and interfered with the play.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
McBride felt he had been interfered with by Giants cornerback Dru Phillips from a pass from Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett that fell incomplete.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
On Tuesday, China's foreign ministry said its cooperation with Iran has "always been conducted within the framework of international law and should not be interfered with or disrupted".
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
He got the chest shots in, but the troll interfered before Butler could complete the formation.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Attorney Marina Z. Beck in her declaration accused Martinez of refusing to provide information to Berry about their son and his education, of interfering with their son’s therapy and of refusing to follow therapist recommendations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Another federal law prohibits voter intimidation, with up to a yearlong prison sentence for anybody who intimidates, threatens, or coerces somebody else with the purpose of interfering with another person’s right to vote.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
The researchers hope that interfering with bacterial communication could make it possible to guide plaque toward an earlier, healthier state rather than attempting to eliminate the entire microbial population.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Monday’s disruption was the latest in a series of air-traffic problems in recent years related to faulty, often old equipment—or contractors interfering with it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
I did not need Margaret interfering with my life.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
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.
