as in grabbing
to stop, seize, or interrupt while in progress or on course
the cat was about to hightail it out the front door when I intercepted her
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of intercepting
The Philippine government has released footage showing Chinese vessels using water cannons and ramming maneuvers while intercepting its ships.
—
Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Three variants were listed, ranging from 3 to 32 megajoules of energy capacity, with the system advertised as capable of intercepting both cruise and ballistic missiles.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
In September, the Ukrainian military’s chief of staff, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said light aircraft mounted with machine guns were proving effective in intercepting Russian drones and the military would consider buying more.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
The Jaguars gave it back right before halftime, with Heritage’s Dax Hebeisen intercepting a pass in the flat.
—Jordan Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2025
And Boise State’s defense victimized the conference’s worst offense, intercepting freshman quarterback Carter Jones three times — Jeremiah Earby had two of them — recovering two fumbles and holding the Pack to 247 total yards.
—Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 25 Oct. 2025
For intercepting Josh Allen in Buffalo and Cam Ward last week in Tennessee, cornerback Marcus Jones now owns a new wallet and expensive bottle of cologne.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
Other researchers have also examined intercepting satellite traffic, but low signal quality has been a barrier, which may have mitigated the threat in the past to some extent.
—PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2025
Italian, Swedish and Finnish fighter jets were all involved in shadowing or intercepting the MiG-31s, the spokesperson said.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2025
Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Three variants were listed, ranging from 3 to 32 megajoules of energy capacity, with the system advertised as capable of intercepting both cruise and ballistic missiles.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
In September, the Ukrainian military’s chief of staff, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said light aircraft mounted with machine guns were proving effective in intercepting Russian drones and the military would consider buying more.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
The Jaguars gave it back right before halftime, with Heritage’s Dax Hebeisen intercepting a pass in the flat.
—Jordan Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2025
And Boise State’s defense victimized the conference’s worst offense, intercepting freshman quarterback Carter Jones three times — Jeremiah Earby had two of them — recovering two fumbles and holding the Pack to 247 total yards.
—Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 25 Oct. 2025
For intercepting Josh Allen in Buffalo and Cam Ward last week in Tennessee, cornerback Marcus Jones now owns a new wallet and expensive bottle of cologne.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
Other researchers have also examined intercepting satellite traffic, but low signal quality has been a barrier, which may have mitigated the threat in the past to some extent.
—PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2025
Italian, Swedish and Finnish fighter jets were all involved in shadowing or intercepting the MiG-31s, the spokesperson said.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intercepting
Verb
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The 5-11 200-pound standout has accumulated mind-boggling stats through nine games -- 1,098 rushing yards and 17 TDs while grabbing a team-leading 42 passes for 974 yards and 18 scores.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Nov. 2025
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Nikola Jokic put up 26 points on 12 of 15 shooting, while also dishing out nine assists and grabbing nine rebounds.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The ingredient works by temporarily blocking nerve signals and causing muscles to relax.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Video shared by police shows a mix of motorcycles, scooters and ATVs blocking an intersection.—
Adam Sabes , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The odds are stacked against independent and specialty films capturing audience attention.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
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In 2021, after homing in on wet processing as a major hot spot, Kering purchased the first 15 of PlanetCare’s commercial microfiber filters, capable of capturing 90 percent of shed strands, to install in several knitwear facilities in Italy.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As for type 2, one of the difficulties of catching the condition in its early stages is that symptoms can develop very gradually.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
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The tight end had a big day as well, catching six passes for 101 yards.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intercepting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intercepting. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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