interfere

verb

in·ter·fere ˌin-tər-ˈfir

ˌin-tə-

interfered; interfering

Synonyms of interfere next

intransitive verb

: to enter into or take a part in the concerns of others

: to interpose in a way that hinders or impedes : come into collision or be in opposition

: to strike one foot against the opposite foot or ankle in walking or running

—used especially of horses

: to act reciprocally so as to augment, diminish, or otherwise affect one another

—used of waves

interferer noun

Choose the Right Synonym for interfere

interpose, interfere, intervene, mediate, intercede mean to come or go between.

interpose often implies no more than this.

interposed herself between him and the door

interfere implies hindering.

noise interfered with my concentration

intervene may imply an occurring in space or time between two things or a stepping in to stop a conflict.

quarreled until the manager intervened

mediate implies intervening between hostile factions.

mediated between the parties

intercede implies acting for an offender in begging mercy or forgiveness.

interceded on our behalf

Example Sentences

I tried to offer advice without interfering. a strong resentment of outsiders who attempted to interfere with their traditional ways of doing things

Recent Examples on the Web Quantum algorithms run on these qubits, and, theoretically, perform calculations by rolling these loaded dice, causing their probabilities to interfere and increasing their odds of finding the ideal solution. —

Olivia Lanes, Scientific American, 15 Mar. 2023 Trump grand jury report released A Georgia grand jury’s report examining former President Donald Trump’s attempts to interfere in the 2020 election was partially released Thursday. —

Sarah Elbeshbishi, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2023 That might be one of the reasons why moms can feel very distracted in their every day lives, but studies—which are often conducted in quiet settings with no baby to interfere—pick up any kind of cognitive difference, according to the essay authors. —

Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2023 McCarthy insinuated Schiff knew the identity of the whistle-blower who triggered the impeachment investigation into Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to interfere in the U.S. election to his benefit. —

Shira Stein, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Jan. 2023 Dunham praised Biden’s White House for not wanting to interfere in the Justice Department’s day-to-day decision making, but argued there's nothing improper about the White House establishing an overall policy on executions. —

Dallas News, 18 Jan. 2023 David Laufman, a former senior D.O.J. official, said that the department would vehemently resist any effort by the new committee to interfere in its ongoing investigations. —

David Rohde, The New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2023 The United States casts Prigozhin as an oligarch and has sanctioned him for attempts to interfere in U.S. elections and for spreading Russian disinformation across the globe. —

Reuters, NBC News, 5 Jan. 2023 By now, Michiganders know Republican state legislative leaders rebuffed former President Donald Trump's overtures to interfere in the 2020 election. —

Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 28 Dec. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'interfere.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enterferen, from Anglo-French (s')entreferir to strike one another, from entre- inter- + ferir to strike, from Latin ferire — more at bore

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of interfere was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century