interceptor

American  

[in-ter-sep-ter] / ˌɪn tərˈsɛp tər /

Or intercepter

noun

1. a person or thing that intercepts.

2. Military. a fighter aircraft with fast-reaction capabilities, used to identify and, if appropriate, engage other aircraft in combat.

---

interceptor British  

/ ˌɪntəˈsɛptə /

noun

1. a person or thing that intercepts

2. a fast highly manoeuvrable fighter aircraft used to intercept enemy aircraft

---

Etymology

Origin of interceptor

1590–1600; < Latin, equivalent to intercep- ( see intercept) + -tor -tor ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

interceptor

Each Patriot interceptor costs approximately $4m - an expensive but effective option repeatedly used to shoot down Iranian drones that themselves only cost between $20,000-50,000 each.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Army officials this year launched a competition to develop a lower-cost interceptor that could be produced for less than $1 million a round.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

In one photo, Graham posed, grinning, holding a black P1-SUN interceptor built to bring down Russian Shahed drones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

In Kyiv, there was some degree of scepticism that the interceptor missiles could be produced on Ukrainian territory at this stage.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

To boot, Onofre’s TV antenna was so tall, so elaborate, so pronged, and so replete with squiggling copper and aluminum tubing and boosters, that it looked like a DEW-line radar interceptor in Greenland.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols