interference
an act, fact, or instance of interfering.
something that interferes.
Physics. the process in which two or more light, sound, or electromagnetic waves of the same frequency combine to reinforce or cancel each other, the amplitude of the resulting wave being equal to the sum of the amplitudes of the combining waves.
Radio.
a jumbling of radio signals, caused by the reception of undesired ones.
the signals or device producing the incoherence.
Football.
the act of a teammate or of teammates running ahead of a ball-carrier and blocking prospective tacklers out of the way: to run interference for the halfback.
such a teammate or such teammates collectively: to follow one's interference.
the act of illegally hindering an opponent from catching a forward pass or a kick.
Aeronautics. the situation that arises when the aerodynamic influence of one surface of an aircraft conflicts with the influence of another surface.
Linguistics.
(in bilingualism and foreign-language learning) the overlapping of two languages.
deviation from the norm of either language in such a situation.
the distorting or inhibiting effect of previously learned behavior on subsequent learning.
Psychology. the forgetting of information or an event due to inability to reconcile it with conflicting information obtained subsequently.
Idioms about interference
run interference, Informal. to deal with troublesome or time-consuming matters, as for a colleague or supervisor, especially to forestall problems.
Origin of interference
1Other words from interference
- o·ver·in·ter·fer·ence, noun
Words Nearby interference
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use interference in a sentence
This kind of deep engagement is what it will take to affirm our collective commitment to participatory democracy, despite the renewed threat of interference at the polls.
We need a global democratic alliance to set norms, rules, and guidelines for technology companies and to agree on protocols for cross-border digital activities including election interference, cyberwar, and online trade.
How democracies can claim back power in the digital world | Amy Nordrum | September 29, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThe problem with GPS is that those signals are extremely weak by the time they reach Earth, and are easily overwhelmed by either accidental interference or electronic warfare.
SpaceX’s Starlink satellites could make US Army navigation hard to jam | Niall Firth | September 28, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewAfter the revelation, one senator resigned and the government passed a law targeting foreign interference.
“It protects against political interference — it’s important,” Sharfstein said.
How to Tell a Political Stunt From a Real Vaccine | by Caroline Chen, Isaac Arnsdorf and Ryan Gabrielson | September 26, 2020 | ProPublica
Finally free of Japanese interference, Korea elected its first autonomous government in almost half a century.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea | Rich Goldstein | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey were able to purchase weapons and plot attacks on the island without much interference.
Of Cuban Spies, a Baby, and a Filmmaker: The Strange Tale of the Cuban Five | Nina Strochlic | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAllowing the protests to go on with little interference was always a high-stakes gamble.
De Blasio and the New York City Protesters Have No Blood on Their Hands | Jacob Siegel | December 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“The sole beneficiary of foreign interference in Syria is the Assad regime,” the group argued.
Obama’s Arab Backers May Draw the U.S. Deep Into the Mideast Quagmire | Jamie Dettmer | September 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe families of the missing aid workers worry that Italian interference will put their daughters at risk, too.
Families of Italian Aid Workers Held by ISIS Fear for Their Lives After Foley's Death | Barbie Latza Nadeau | August 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOn Louis thanking the minister for his generous interference, Sinzendorff took his hand.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterThe King arrived in Naples bent on maintaining his crown and on allowing no interference from the Emperor.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonAs far above the interference of man as is the government of the external universe, is that designated the covenant, as ordained.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John CunninghamThis time there was no interference, and Ney so severely wounded his adversary that he was unable to continue his profession.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonIn Scotland a railway manager was rarely worried by outside interference in the management of his men.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
British Dictionary definitions for interference
/ (ˌɪntəˈfɪərəns) /
the act or an instance of interfering
physics the process in which two or more coherent waves combine to form a resultant wave in which the displacement at any point is the vector sum of the displacements of the individual waves. If the individual waves converge the resultant is a system of fringes. Two waves of equal or nearly equal intensity moving in opposite directions combine to form a standing wave
Also called: radio interference any undesired signal that tends to interfere with the reception of radio waves
aeronautics the effect on the flow pattern around a body of objects in the vicinity
Derived forms of interference
- interferential (ˌɪntəfəˈrɛnʃəl), adjective
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
Scientific definitions for interference
[ ĭn′tər-fîr′əns ]
The superposition of two or more waves propagating through a given region. Depending on how the peaks and troughs of the interacting waves coincide with each other, the resulting wave amplitude can be higher or smaller than the amplitudes of the individual waves.♦ When two waves interact so that they rise and fall together more than half the time, the amplitude of the resulting wave is greater than that of the larger wave. This is called constructive interference. ♦ When two waves interact such that they rise and fall together less than half the time, the resulting amplitude is smaller than the amplitude of the stronger wave. This interference is called destructive interference. It is possible for two waves of the same magnitude to completely cancel out in destructive interference where their sum is always zero, that is, where their peaks and troughs are perfectly opposed. See more at wave.
In electronics, the distortion or interruption of one broadcast signal by others.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for interference
The disturbance that results when two waves come together at a single point in space; the disturbance is the sum of the contribution of each wave. For example, if two crests of identical waves arrive together, the net disturbance will be twice as large as each incoming wave; if the crest of one wave arrives with the trough of another, there will be no disturbance at all.
Notes for interference
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.
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