intercept

1 of 2

verb

in·​ter·​cept ˌin-tər-ˈsept 

intercepted; intercepting; intercepts

transitive verb

1

a

: to stop, seize, or interrupt in progress or course or before arrival

b

: to receive (a communication or signal directed elsewhere) usually secretly

2

a

: to gain possession of (an opponent's pass)

b

: to intercept a pass thrown by (an opponent)

3

: to include (part of a curve, surface, or solid) between two points, curves, or surfaces

the part of a circumference intercepted between two radii

4

obsolete : prevent, hinder

5

obsolete : to interrupt communication or connection with

intercept

2 of 2

noun

in·​ter·​cept ˈin-tər-ˌsept 

1

: the distance from the origin to a point where a graph crosses a coordinate axis

2

: interception

especially : the interception of a missile by an interceptor or of a target by a missile

3

: a message, code, or signal that is intercepted (as by monitoring radio communications)

Did you know?

Since the prefix inter means "between", it's not hard to see how intercept was created. Arms shipments coming to a country are sometimes intercepted, but such interceptions can sometimes be understood as acts of war. In football, soccer, and basketball, players try to intercept the ball as it's being passed by the other team. In years gone by, letters and documents being carried between officers or officials were sometimes intercepted when the carrier was caught; today, when these communications are generally electronic, an intercepted email isn't actually stopped, but simply read secretly by a third party.

Synonyms

Verb

• block
• interdict
• pick off

Examples of intercept in a Sentence

Verb

Detectives have been intercepting her mail.

The police intercepted him as he was walking out.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Diggs made one tackle, intercepted one pass and broke up another one. —Mark Inabinett | [e-mail], al, 17 Sep. 2023

Miguel DeJesus and Devin Harding, Holliston — In a 29-6 win over Middleborough, DeJesus, a senior defensive back, intercepted two passes and added two tackles for loss and eight solo tackles. —Nate Weitzer, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023

Later in the quarter, Javier intercepted Taylor again, and seven plays and 22 yards later, Vaughan kicked a 40-yard field goal to give Towson a 20-0 lead at halftime. —Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 16 Sep. 2023

In August, Russian military members forcefully boarded a commercial ship in the Black Sea, in what appears to be the first time Russia has carried out its vow to intercept ships in the waterway. —Gaya Gupta, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2023

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed fewer than half his passes (16 of 34) and had three intercepted last weekend. —Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023

Air Force One left Alaska on Monday afternoon without incident. Correction: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized the way flares are used by NORAD jets intercepting aircraft. —Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Sep. 2023

The people believed to be involved in the theft have already been arrested and convicted, after the police intercepted their encrypted communications, Brand said. —Robert Higgs, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023

Key developments Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted two drones over the Kaluga and Tver regions outside Moscow and another over the Istra district, closer to the city. —Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2023

Noun

State commit Ronnie Royal intercepts UMS QB Joe Lott and returns it 78 yards for a critical touchdown. —Ben Thomas | [e-mail], al, 15 Sep. 2023

The missile initially arcs on an intercept course making course corrections radio-transmitted by the battery. —Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 30 Aug. 2023

Waubonsie Valley 1-0 (NR) Junior defensive back Josh Hung intercepts pair of passes, both tipped, to help Warriors. 9. —Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2023

Surveillance, intercepts and other steps led to additional members and cells. —Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023

That requires both pre-positioning the boats close to likely transit routes and maintaining the maritime surveillance capability to precisely locate Russian ships and plot an intercept. —Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 3 Aug. 2023

Serbia’s former interior minister, Nebojsa Stefanovic, said as much, asserting that the arrest was made possible by Sky intercepts. —Robert F. Worth, New York Times, 3 May 2023

How the government can use its database of intercepts that have been already collected when scrutinizing Americans has been a subject of heated debate. —Charlie Savage, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2023

In the days after the March 3 shootings, the criminal organization braced for retaliation from Mexican security forces, and its attorneys urged cartel members to delete information about the Americans from their phones, according to the U.S. intercepts. —Nick Miroff, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Latin interceptus, past participle of intercipere, from inter- + capere to take, seize — more at heave entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun

1821, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing intercept

• slope-intercept form
• y-intercept
• x-intercept

• slope-intercept form
• y-intercept
• x-intercept

Kids Definition

intercept

1 of 2 verb

in·​ter·​cept ˌint-ər-ˈsept 

1

: to take or seize on the way to or before arrival

intercept a letter

intercept a pass

2

: to include (part of a line, surface, or solid) between two points, curves, or surfaces

a line intercepted between points A and B

interception

-ˈsep-shən

noun

intercept

2 of 2 noun

in·​ter·​cept ˈint-ər-ˌsept 

: the distance from the origin of a coordinate system to a point where a graph (as of a line) crosses a coordinate axis

Etymology

Verb

from Latin interceptus, past participle of intercipere "to take or hinder in the course of," from inter- "between, in the course of" and cipere, a form of capere "to take, seize" — related to capture, except

Legal Definition

intercept

transitive verb

in·​ter·​cept

: to receive (a communication or signal directed elsewhere) usually secretly

shall not be unlawful…for a person not acting under color of law to intercept a wire, oral, or electronic communication where such person is a party to the communication

—U.S. Code

interception noun