interstate

American  

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

adjective

1. connecting or involving different states.

   interstate commerce.

---

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

---

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

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

All the other states, who controlled international and interstate migration, were restrictionist.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2026

The requested two-year exemption would allow Zoox to make and deploy its vehicles for interstate commerce, according to the application.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026

Railroads transformed interstate commerce and fueled economic expansion, but they also produced boom-bust cycles, excess capacity, and intense volatility.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

Liens are recorded in state Uniform Commercial Code databases across the country, with the public filings intended to standardize interstate transactions and alert creditors about business debts and financial obligations.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

“Ha! Can you imagine the traffic on the interstate trying to get there?” says my mom, in a sour grapes kind of way.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Related Words

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