intercept
verb (used with object)
to take, seize, or halt (someone or something on the way from one place to another); cut off from an intended destination.
were intercepting
-
past progressiveof intercept.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Air raid alerts sounded in Bahrain, while Kuwait's army said the country's forces were intercepting "hostile aerial targets" on Monday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
The Las Vegas agents found an answer in the cellphone calls they were intercepting: a group that called itself “the H’s,” after Héctor Beltrán, who was known as El H, or “the H.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 8, 2022
Mitsotakis said authorities were "intercepting" boats at sea in accordance with European Union regulations and had granted asylum to 50,000 people, including "tens of thousands of Afghans."
From Reuters ● Nov. 9, 2021
Although Sondheim didn’t perform himself, most tributes ended with a “Happy Birthday, Steve”—or sometimes “Mr. Sondheim,” or even “sir”—as if we were intercepting a personal transmission from one artist to another.
From Slate ● Apr. 27, 2020
A.T.F. informants and agents were intercepting some of the guns in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, raising alarms within the bureau.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 7, 2019
