interstate
Americanadjective
noun
-
a highway serving two or more states.
-
(sometimes initial capital letter) a highway that is part of the nationwide U.S. Interstate Highway System.
adjective
adverb
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of interstate
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How does interstate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Vocabulary lists containing interstate
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The Constitution
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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:
Clough had several telemedicine followups with her Houston doctor, which was legal under California law that allows interstate telemedicine for patients with life-threatening conditions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
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
By offering online ordering, no-haggle pricing and interstate delivery for new vehicles, Carvana has disrupted the status quo, drawing curiosity and anxiety from old-school dealers fearing for their business model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 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
He sat in the parking lot of a small convenience store near the interstate for a few minutes, frantically trying to come up with a next step.
From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley
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
Or consider the fragmentary effects of America’s interstates, which throttle ecosystems and human communities alike.
From Slate ● May 25, 2024
The Claiborne Expressway was built in the 1960s, when the construction of interstates and highways was a symbol of progress and economic development in the U.S.
From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2024
For the next 12 hours, we wound down the length of California on two-lane roads and interstates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
I took my time going home, avoiding interstates in favor of back roads.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
