interstate

American  

[in-ter-steyt, in-ter-steyt] / ˌɪn tərˈsteɪt, ˈɪn tərˌsteɪt /

adjective

1. connecting or involving different states.

   interstate commerce.

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noun

1. a highway serving two or more states.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter) a highway that is part of the nationwide U.S. Interstate Highway System.

interstate British  

/ ˈɪntəˌsteɪt /

adjective

1. between or involving two or more of the states of the US, Australia, etc

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adverb

1. to or into another state

verb

1. a motorway crossing between states

Other Word Forms

• noninterstate adjective

Etymology

Origin of interstate

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; inter- + state

Compare meaning

How does interstate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• interstate vs. intrastate
• interstate vs. highway

Example Sentences

That land already had greater Kansas City’s interstate loop running through it, promising easy access.

From The Wall Street Journal

Why am I speeding down this interstate at 80 miles per hour, and furthermore, when did the speed limit change to 80?

From Salon

A California jury in 2023 found there wasn’t a manufacturing defect in the advanced driver-assistance system of a Tesla that veered off an interstate and hit a tree outside Los Angeles in 2019.

From The Wall Street Journal

To be sure, the vast expansion of the interstate commerce power since the New Deal has also resulted in an increase in the number of federal crimes.

From The Wall Street Journal

The deadly incident was massively disruptive to the major US shipping Port of Baltimore while it was closed, and severed part of a major interstate roadway.

From BBC

Related Words

• artery
• avenue
• boulevard
• freeway
• parking lot
• path
• roadway
• street
• superhighway
• thoroughfare
• track
• turnpike