interfere
Americanverb (used without object)
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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:
AI experts say rules to block chatbots from coaching users to make biological weapons—for instance, certain types of genetic editing—can interfere with lifesaving work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
McBride fears the law would interfere with the making of devices like the one that activates his lifelike hand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Commonly used sweeteners can directly interfere with the growth of bacteria that help support a healthy gut, according to laboratory research from the University of Cambridge.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
In response to his speech, the Chinese Embassy in Washington told Reuters that Beijing "has never and will never interfere in the presidential elections".
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The growth of pines was not thick enough to do more than interfere with the rain, and the needle-carpeted ground underfoot was damp.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
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
Instead of being driven primarily by plaque buildup in the brain, the disease could start when one protein interferes with the normal function of another inside nerve cells.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
The antibody is designed to bind to proteins on the surface of the virus, which interferes with its ability to get inside human cells.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
Still, no one interferes when she guides the trio into an examination room to assess their injuries.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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
Those studies similarly found that disrupting sensory regions of the brain interfered with the ability to learn and retain new motor skills.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
The justices concluded that Hill, in her role as court clerk, had interfered with the jury in pursuit of fame and book sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026
Even though only one flavour was thought to be interfered with, its entire range was being pulled from the more than 1,500 Spar shops across Austria as a precautionary measure.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
But too late, I had interfered and thus made myself responsible for its safety.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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
Others in AI research said that Anthropic, by admitting it was silently interfering with the model to make it less useful, was setting a dangerous precedent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Its satellites have been blamed for interfering with astronomical observations and posing an ever-increasing risk of space collisions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
And Collum also backed the award of the Yang goal on the grounds of the goalkeeper's line of vision and Benjamin Nygren not interfering with play.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
And why were the town leaders interfering with news the public had every right to know?
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
