interfere

[ in-ter-feer ]

/ ˌɪn tərˈfɪər /

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See synonyms for: interfere / interfering on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), in·ter·fered, in·ter·fer·ing.

to come into opposition, as one thing with another, especially with the effect of hampering action or procedure (often followed by with): Constant distractions interfere with work.

to take part in the affairs of others; meddle (often followed by with or in): to interfere in another's life.

(of things) to strike against each other, or one against another, so as to hamper or hinder action; come into physical collision.

to interpose or intervene for a particular purpose.

to strike one foot or leg against another in moving, as a horse.

Sports.

to obstruct the action of an opposing player in a way barred by the rules.
Football. to run interference for a teammate carrying the ball.

Physics. to cause interference.

to clash; come in collision; be in opposition: The claims of two nations may interfere.

Law. to claim earlier invention when several patent requests for the same invention are being filed.

Verb Phrases

interfere with, Chiefly British. to molest sexually.

OTHER WORDS FOR interfere

2 pry, intrude, encroach, interlope.

4 intercede.

See synonyms for interfere on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of interfere

1520–30; inter- + -fere<Latin ferīre to strike; modeled on Middle French s'entreferir

OTHER WORDS FROM interfere

in·ter·fer·er, nounin·ter·fer·ing·ly, adverbnon·in·ter·fer·ing, adjectivenon·in·ter·fer·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby interfere

interfacing, interfaith, interfascicular, interfascicular cambium, interfenestration, interfere, interference, interference drag, interference fit, interference microscope, interference pattern

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use interfere in a sentence

The weight can mimic touch, and the deep pressure can be beneficial for little ones who experience overstimulation linked to ADHD or autism, which might be interfering with their sleep.
Best weighted blanket: Sleep like a baby with our comfy bedding picks|PopSci Commerce Team|February 12, 2021|Popular-Science
“He must have staff members over there looking for ways to interfere with the District,” said Norton, who has often sparred with Lee over his attempts to set policy in the District.
Senator attempts to block D.C. bill allowing vaccines without parental consent|Michael Brice-Saddler, Meagan Flynn|February 10, 2021|Washington Post
Processors with just tens of qubits are already the size of server racks, so finding ways to squeeze thousands or even millions of them into a reasonable amount of space while preventing them from interfering with each other is an unsolved problem.
Connecting Distant Qubits Just Brought Distributed Quantum Computing Closer|Edd Gent|February 8, 2021|Singularity Hub
Finance professors bemoaning how the extreme volatility is interfering with the market’s “price discovery” process.
GameStop mania exposes SEC’s failure as regulator|Steven Pearlstein|January 30, 2021|Washington Post

As those electron waves spread out, they interfered with each other.
Physicists have clocked the shortest time span ever|Maria Temming|January 29, 2021|Science News For Students
It was as if it would interfere with the largest particular work of her life, which happened to be me.
Mailer’s Letters Pack a Punch and a Surprising Degree of Sweetness|Ronald K. Fried|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However, it can interfere seriously with blood thinners and should never be taken with other antidepressant drugs.
Fish Oil, Turmeric, and Ginseng, Oh My! Are ‘Brain Foods’ B.S.?|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another issue is that alcohol is a diuretic and being dehydrated will certainly interfere with your speed and endurance.
Is Alcohol Killing Your Workout?|DailyBurn|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These drugs interfere with the double helix zip-unzip-zip-again process of RNA and DNA replication.
Emory Will Wage High-Tech War on Ebola|Kent Sepkowitz|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And go easy on fiber, which in large amounts can interfere with ovulation.
Exercise and Fertility: Are You Too Fit to Get Pregnant?|DailyBurn|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He curved his hand round mine, and told me as long as I played right, his hand would not interfere with mine.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
If it be a necessary, inevitable arrangement, I would not interfere with it for the world.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
This automatic suitable bass device does not interfere with the normal use of the stop-keys of the pedal department by hand.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
Nor will a court interfere because there have been irregularities in the proceedings, unless these were of a grave character.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
He supported me consistently, permitting no one but himself to interfere with anything I thought it right to do.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow

British Dictionary definitions for interfere

interfere

/ (ˌɪntəˈfɪə) /

verb (intr)

(often foll by in) to interpose, esp meddlesomely or unwarrantedly; intervene

(often foll by with) to come between or in opposition; hinder; obstruct

(foll by with) euphemistic to assault sexually

to strike one against the other, as a horse's legs

physics to cause or produce interference

Derived forms of interfere

interferer, nouninterfering, adjectiveinterferingly, adverb

Word Origin for interfere

C16: from Old French s'entreferir to collide, from entre- inter- + ferir to strike, from Latin ferīre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

interfere

OTHER WORDS FOR interfere

Origin of interfere

OTHER WORDS FROM interfere

Words nearby interfere

Words related to interfere

How to use interfere in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for interfere

Derived forms of interfere

Word Origin for interfere