interfere
Americanverb (used without object)
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interferes,
present (3rd person singular)
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interfered,
past participle, past
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interfering
present participle
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to come into opposition, as one thing with another, especially with the effect of hampering action or procedure (often followed bywith ).
Constant distractions interfere with work.
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to take part in the affairs of others; meddle (often followed by with orin ).
to interfere in another's life.
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(of things) to strike against each other, or one against another, so as to hamper or hinder action; come into physical collision.
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to interpose or intervene for a particular purpose.
- Synonyms:
- intercede
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to strike one foot or leg against another in moving, as a horse.
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Sports.
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to obstruct the action of an opposing player in a way barred by the rules.
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Football. to run interference for a teammate carrying the ball.
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Physics. to cause interference.
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to clash; come in collision; be in opposition.
The claims of two nations may interfere.
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Law. to claim earlier invention when several patent requests for the same invention are being filed.
verb phrase
verb
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(often foll by in) to interpose, esp meddlesomely or unwarrantedly; intervene
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(often foll by with) to come between or in opposition; hinder; obstruct
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euphemistic (foll by with) to assault sexually
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to strike one against the other, as a horse's legs
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physics to cause or produce interference
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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interferernoun
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interferingadjective
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noninterferingadjective
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interferinglyadverb
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noninterferinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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interferesimple
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interferessimple
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have interferedperfect
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has interferedperfect
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am interferingprogressive
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are interferingprogressive
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is interferingprogressive
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have been interferingperfect progressive
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has been interferingperfect progressive
Past
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interferedsimple
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had interferedperfect
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was interferingprogressive
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were interferingprogressive
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had been interferingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of interfere
First recorded in 1520–30; inter- + -fere (from Latin ferīre “to strike”); modeled on Middle French s'entreferir
Explanation
To interfere is to try to stop something from happening. If you get into a fight on the street, people passing by might try to interfere so no one gets hurt. Many countries resent it when other countries interfere (get involved) in their internal affairs, just as people often dislike it when others interfere in their personal affairs. In this sense interfere is the opposite of minding one's business. On airplanes you're not allowed to use cellphones because, it's said, they interfere with the plane’s navigational systems.
Vocabulary lists containing interfere
Power Prefix: inter-
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"Fears and Phobias," Vocabulary from the article
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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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:
For patients whose knee arthritis continues to interfere with everyday life despite medication, therapy, and injections, the approach nevertheless represents an increasingly studied possibility.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
These treatments use short, specially designed pieces of genetic material to interfere with instructions that cells use to manufacture particular proteins.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Although exceptionally uncommon, its consequences can be severe, with symptoms that gradually interfere with everyday activities and essential bodily functions.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Michael Krivor, a marine archaeologist on the trip, said he is currently concerned about a weather pattern traveling from east to west that could interfere with "safe transit in and out of the blasted channels".
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
“As a matter of policy, we do not interfere with private family matters, hamshira.'’
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
That tort takes place when a person intentionally interferes with another person’s lawful possession of movable personal property.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Airports close because ash interferes with aircraft and other transport networks falter.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
And both have their reasons for rejecting science that interferes with their own interests.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
If investors conclude for themselves that having a high concentration of individual stocks interferes with their goals, they might forgo this approach.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Andrews and many others have argued that this makes scientists less likely to share samples and results, which slows research; they also worry that it interferes with health-care delivery.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Players are allowed to request video reviews of specific judgement points if they believe there has been a hindrance - such as whether a ball has bounced twice, or a distraction has interfered with play.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The reunited waves interfered with one another, giving the researchers a way to measure the extremely small difference in quantum phase that had accumulated while one part was falling and the other remained fixed.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
And a good way not to be interfered with is to claim to be sentient.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
On Tuesday, China's foreign ministry said its cooperation with Iran has "always been conducted within the framework of international law and should not be interfered with or disrupted".
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
The guardian whom McAuliffe suspected of killing his grandmother was a prominent attorney working for the tribe who never interfered with the criminal networks operating under his nose.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Courtney-Grace believes allowing medical professionals access to familial history without interfering with data protection rules wouldn't just benefit adoptees, but the entire population.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Attorney Marina Z. Beck in her declaration accused Martinez of refusing to provide information to Berry about their son and his education, of interfering with their son’s therapy and of refusing to follow therapist recommendations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Another federal law prohibits voter intimidation, with up to a yearlong prison sentence for anybody who intimidates, threatens, or coerces somebody else with the purpose of interfering with another person’s right to vote.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
Lactonases break down these communication molecules, effectively interfering with the bacterial conversation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
"But we're way off-script now. Just keep it from interfering with your duties, and I'm happy."
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
