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

interstates plural

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

Derived Forms

• noninterstate
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• interstates
  plural

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. highway
• interstate vs. intrastate

Explanation

If something is interstate, it happens between different U.S. states. For example, you can drive on Interstate 80 from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey. Yep, that's a trip. If you're driving from Rhode Island to Illinois, you can call it interstate travel, or an interstate road trip — you're going from state to state. An interstate highway connects different states together, like I-95, which is an east coast interstate highway that stretches from Maine to Florida. For short, you can call a road like this an interstate. This 20th century word combines inter-, "between," and state.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

interstate interstates

And the problem isn’t limited to California, which is one of about 30 states with tight restrictions on interstate telemedicine.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

That level of spending towers over the inflation-adjusted outlays for the U.S. railroad expansion of the 1850s, as well as the decadeslong construction of America’s interstate highway system initiated a century later.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Mangione is also charged in federal court with two counts of interstate stalking and risks the same punishment.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

But economic life along Route 66 has been precarious since the late 1960s, when interstate highways and chain hotels began stealing traffic away from the older, slower road.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026

Adele received her South Carolina foster care license on my sixth birthday, but she was told it would take several more months before the interstate paperwork would allow us to travel.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

It’s a breeze to get around, too, with access to major interstates, airports, passenger rail service, as well as water taxis and a bustling cruise ship boarding seaport.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2025

Who are the farmers harvesting your food and the truckers driving it on interstates to you?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2024

Record-breaking flooding washed out roads, including long stretches of interstates, while knocking out electricity for days.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2024

Or consider the fragmentary effects of America’s interstates, which throttle ecosystems and human communities alike.

From Slate ● May 25, 2024

That meant that the interstates that were normally bumper to bumper but moving would be bumper to bumper and not moving.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

Related Words

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