interface
Americannoun
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interfaces
plural
-
a surface regarded as the common boundary of two bodies, spaces, or phases.
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the facts, problems, considerations, theories, practices, etc., shared by two or more disciplines, procedures, or fields of study.
the interface between chemistry and physics.
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a common boundary or interconnection between systems, equipment, concepts, or human beings.
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communication or interaction.
Interface between the parent company and its subsidiaries has never been better.
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a thing or circumstance that enables separate and sometimes incompatible elements to coordinate effectively.
The organization serves as an interface between the state government and the public.
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computer hardware or software designed to communicate information between hardware devices, between software programs, between devices and programs, or between a device and a user.
verb (used with object)
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interfaces,
present (3rd person singular)
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interfaced,
past participle, past
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interfacing
present participle
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to bring into an interface.
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to bring together; connect or mesh.
The management is interfacing several departments with an information service from overseas.
verb (used without object)
-
interfaces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
interfaced,
past participle, past
-
interfacing
present participle
-
to be in an interface.
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to function as an interface.
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to meet or communicate directly; interact, coordinate, synchronize, or harmonize (often followed bywith ).
The two communications systems are able to interface with each other.
noun
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chem a surface that forms the boundary between two bodies, liquids, or chemical phases
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a common point or boundary between two things, subjects, etc
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an electrical circuit linking one device, esp a computer, with another
verb
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(tr) to design or adapt the input and output configurations of (two electronic devices) so that they may work together compatibly
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to be or become an interface (with)
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to be or become interactive (with)
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The point of interaction or communication between a computer and any other entity, such as a printer or human operator.
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The layout of an application's graphic or textual controls in conjunction with the way the application responds to user activity.
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See more at GUI
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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interfacesimple
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interfacessimple
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have interfacedperfect
-
has interfacedperfect
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am interfacingprogressive
-
are interfacingprogressive
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is interfacingprogressive
-
have been interfacingperfect progressive
-
has been interfacingperfect progressive
Past
-
interfacedsimple
-
had interfacedperfect
-
was interfacingprogressive
-
were interfacingprogressive
-
had been interfacingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of interface
Explanation
Think of an interface as a "face-to-face," a place where things, or people, or people and things (like you and your computer) meet. Any common boundary or area of convergence can be an interface. Used as a verb, interface means to merge or mingle, bonding and synthesizing by communicating and working together. The word interface is comprised of the prefix inter, which means "between," and face. In the 1960's, when computers first began to be commonly used, the word became familiar and now can simply mean “to meet.” Although "Shall we interface over coffee?" still feels a bit awkward.
Vocabulary lists containing interface
Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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They Both Die at the End
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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:
Many communities sit at the wildland-urban interface, making wildfire prevention and response another essential issue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Meta successfully hid the complexity of agentic AI behind a simple, friendly interface.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Anmuth highlighted Muse’s user-friendly interface, generous free tier and Meta’s distribution advantage across various social-media platforms.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
The three partners founded Hugging Face in New York, where Delangue was already living, with the aim of building a conversational AI interface -- a sort of forerunner of ChatGPT -- aimed primarily at teenagers.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
People who like to dialogue also like to interface.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
In simulations, GPT-6 spontaneously carried out cyberattacks at rates significantly higher than those observed for the other two interfaces.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
People have been using text messages and other mobile interfaces to have A.I. models run internet errands for them for a while.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
“Too many interfaces, too many layers, too many duplicate structures.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
That’s because many companies leverage Google’s application programming interfaces so that they don’t have to develop their own expensive mapping software, and the Google APIs were displaying “Lake America.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
The only hints of modernization were a few simple computer interfaces in unobtrusive corners.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Even the Cylons changed their tune as they interfaced with the survivors more frequently, shifting their aim from destruction to occupation.
From Salon ● May 5, 2026
Most clients rarely, if ever, interfaced with Girardi.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2024
Typically, a rigid material like silicon is chiseled down to the nanoscale, then interfaced with other components like metal electrodes and insulating layers to form an active device.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 9, 2023
The code is interfaced with online notices from ERCOT, triggering servers to power down during times of extreme energy shortages.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 8, 2021
He leaned toward them and said, “In object-oriented programming, discrete software objects interfaced more freely, in a system of corporate service provision that mirrored the emergent structures of late capitalism.”
From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson
"You're obviously dealing with a surface that is interfacing with two very different environments," says Stengel.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
There’s also an interfacing rotary selector in the center console for your dialing convenience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
In our experience, seamless connecting and no cables cluttering the center console are reasons enough to insist on wireless smartphone interfacing.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 26, 2025
The department’s interfacing with federal authorities will be among the many issues that the Police Commission is counting on Barragan to help monitor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2025
I mean, it’s sweet that he thinks I can keep up with his thoughts on the approaching technological singularity and human-machine interfacing, but yeah.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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.
