interception
Americannoun
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an act or instance of intercepting.
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the state or fact of being intercepted.
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Military.
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the engaging of an enemy force in an attempt to hinder or prevent it from carrying out its mission.
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the monitoring of enemy radio transmission to obtain information.
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Etymology
Origin of interception
First recorded in 1590–1600, interception is from the Latin word interceptiōn- (stem of interceptiō ). See intercept, -ion
Explanation
Interception is blocking or stopping something from reaching its intended destination. Your clever interception of a note passed in math class kept your crush from learning your true feelings. While you might hear about an intelligence agency's interception of secret spy messages or your sister's interception of the family's goofy dog before he knocks your grandma down, this word is most commonly used in sports. American football is all about interceptions, moments when one player grabs hold of a ball that was thrown to the opposing team: "They played a really strong defense, with three interceptions."
Vocabulary lists containing interception
cept, capt, ceive (take, hold, seize)
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cept, capt, ceive (take, hold, seize)
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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.
Then Ca’ron Williams came up with another interception deep in Braves territory, leading to a one-yard touchdown run by Petero.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
In addition to the last-minute interception, he threw a pick earlier in the fourth quarter that was returned for a touchdown, giving Oklahoma its first lead of the day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
The kingdom's civil defence agency also said "interception debris" had damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex in Riyadh.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
The starter was Guess, who took more than 90% of the snaps on a night when he finished 16 for 22 for 163 yards with one interception and no touchdowns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
A life of frequent concerns that the next interception may not work, that the trap or the drive will fail, or that the herds will not appear this season.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
