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interference Meaning & Definition

/ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈfɪəɹəns/

What Does Interference Mean?

Interference is used as a noun meaning The act of interfering with something, or something that interferes. It can also mean The illegal obstruction of an opponent in some ball games. As a verb, it means To interfere.

Interference at a Glance

Part of speechnoun, verb
Pronunciation//ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈfɪəɹəns//
Syllables1
Synonymsnoise, hitch and block
Antonymsnonintervention and noninterference
Pluralinterferences
Verb formsinterferences, interferencing, interferenced

Interference Definition (Noun)

  1. The act of interfering with something, or something that interferes.
  2. The illegal obstruction of an opponent in some ball games.

    They were glued to the TV, as the referee called out a fifteen yard penalty for interference.

  3. An effect caused by the superposition of two systems of waves.
  4. A distortion on a broadcast signal due to atmospheric or other effects.

    They wanted to watch the game on TV, but there was too much interference to even make out the score on the tiny screen.

  5. In United States patent law, an inter partes proceeding to determine the priority issues of multiple patent applications; a priority contest.
  6. The interruption of the line between an attacked piece and its defender by sacrificially interposing a piece.
  7. A negative or inappropriate language transfer.

Interference as a Verb

  1. To interfere.

Noun

  1. The situation where a person who knows two languages inappropriately transfers lexical items or structures from one to the other.

Synonyms of Interference

Interference synonyms and antonyms →

Antonyms of Interference

Interference in a Sentence

They were glued to the TV, as the referee called out a fifteen yard penalty for interference.

They wanted to watch the game on TV, but there was too much interference to even make out the score on the tiny screen.

Word Forms & Grammar

interference (countable and uncountable, plural interferences)

interference (third-person singular simple present interferences, present participle interferencing, simple past and past participle interferenced)

Words That Rhyme With Interference

Origin of Interference

From interfere +‎ -ence. The sense in physics was likely introduced by English polymath Thomas Young, which he used as early as 1801 in a paper in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.

Pronouncing Interference

Interference is pronounced //ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈfɪəɹəns// and has 1 syllable.

Common Questions About Interference

Is interference a noun or a verb?

Interference is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.

What is another word for interference?

Words with a similar meaning to interference include noise, hitch and block. See the full list of interference synonyms and antonyms.

What is the opposite of interference?

Words opposite in meaning to interference are nonintervention and noninterference.

What is the plural of interference?

The plural of interference is interferences.

What is the past tense of interference?

The past tense of interference is interferenced. The present participle is interferencing.

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