interest
the feeling of a person whose attention, concern, or curiosity is particularly engaged by something: She has a great interest in the poetry of Donne.
something that concerns, involves, draws the attention of, or arouses the curiosity of a person: His interests are philosophy and chess.
power of exciting such concern, involvement, etc.; quality of being interesting: political issues of great interest.
concern; importance: a matter of primary interest.
a business, cause, or the like in which a person has a share, concern, responsibility, etc.
a share, right, or title in the ownership of property, in a commercial or financial undertaking, or the like: He bought half an interest in the store.
a participation in or concern for a cause, advantage, responsibility, etc.
a number or group of persons, or a party, financially interested in the same business, industry, or enterprise: the banking interest.
interests, the group of persons or organizations having extensive financial or business power.
the state of being affected by something in respect to advantage or detriment: We need an arbiter who is without interest in the outcome.
regard for one's own advantage or profit; self-interest: The partnership dissolved because of their conflicting interests.
influence from personal importance or capability; power of influencing the action of others.
Finance.
a sum paid or charged for the use of money or for borrowing money: If I won the lottery, I would invest the money, quit working and live off the interest.
something added or thrown in above an exact equivalent: Jones paid him back with a left hook and added a right uppercut for interest.
to engage or excite the attention or curiosity of: Mystery stories interested him greatly.
to concern (a person, nation, etc.) in something; involve: The fight for peace interests all nations.
to cause to take a personal concern or share; induce to participate: to interest a person in an enterprise.
to cause to be concerned; affect.
Idioms about interest
in the interest(s) of, to the advantage or advancement of; in behalf of: in the interests of good government.
Origin of interest
1Other words from interest
- o·ver·in·ter·est, noun
- pre·in·ter·est, noun, verb
- re·in·ter·est, noun, verb (used with object)
Words Nearby interest
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use interest in a sentence
While 87 percent of Democrats say the coronavirus represents a threat to those vital interests — and 60 percent of independents agree — 48 percent of Republicans say the same.
Poll: Sharp partisan differences now exist on foreign policy, views of American exceptionalism | Dan Balz, Scott Clement | September 17, 2020 | Washington PostThey were able to take the resources and use them in the interests of the average Norwegian.
Does Anyone Really Know What Socialism Is? (Ep. 408 Rebroadcast) | Stephen J. Dubner | September 17, 2020 | FreakonomicsBuffett’s move has boosted the already sky-high institutional interest in the cloud-computing firm, Singh said.
Here’s who made a killing from Snowflake’s blockbuster IPO | Verne Kopytoff | September 16, 2020 | FortuneWhile special interest groups often submit draft legislation and regulations to policymakers, legal experts said executive orders are less common and aren’t subject to the same public scrutiny.
Emails Show the Meatpacking Industry Drafted an Executive Order to Keep Plants Open | by Michael Grabell and Bernice Yeung | September 14, 2020 | ProPublicaMicrosoft says it remains confident its proposal would have been “good for TikTok’s users, while protecting national security interests.”
‘A 2nd or 3rd tier player’: How the size of Oracle’s China business helped it win TikTok | eamonbarrett | September 14, 2020 | Fortune
But in the case of black women, another study found no lack of interest.
But if you have a hearing and you prove that someone is mature enough, well then that state interest evaporates.
While public interest in Ebola continues to dwindle, the epidemic itself continues to soar.
Lennon casually told some DC friends about it and found there was local interest in establishing Dinner Parties.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone | Samantha Levine | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAt the same time, campaigns are spending less while the special-interest groups are spending more.
In the parish churches, many of which are of great interest, the predominant styles are Decorated and Perpendicular.
And with some expressions of mutual good-will and interest, master and man separated.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles DickensA desultory conversation on politics, in which neither took the slightest interest, was a safe neutral ground.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsHis also was the intellectual point of view, and the intellectual interest in knowledge and its deductions.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II) | Henry Osborn TaylorShe stabbed him, noting the effect upon him with a detached interest that seemed indifferent to his pain.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
British Dictionary definitions for interest
/ (ˈɪntrɪst, -tərɪst) /
the sense of curiosity about or concern with something or someone: an interest in butterflies
the power of stimulating such a sense: to have great interest
the quality of such stimulation
something in which one is interested; a hobby or pursuit
(often plural) benefit; advantage: in one's own interest
(often plural)
a right, share, or claim, esp in a business or property
the business, property, etc, in which a person has such concern
a charge for the use of credit or borrowed money
such a charge expressed as a percentage per time unit of the sum borrowed or used
(often plural) a section of a community, etc, whose members have common aims: we must not offend the landed interest
declare an interest to make known one's connection, esp a prejudicial connection, with an affair
to arouse or excite the curiosity or concern of
to cause to become involved in something; concern
Origin of interest
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for interest
The charge for borrowing money or the return for lending it.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with interest
see in one's interest; take an interest; vested interest; with interest.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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