interference

noun

The act of interfering with something, or something that interferes.

(sports) The illegal obstruction of an opponent in some ball games.

(physics) An effect caused by the superposition of two systems of waves.

A distortion on a broadcast signal due to atmospheric or other effects.

(US, law) In United States patent law, an inter partes proceeding to determine the priority issues of multiple patent applications; a priority contest.

(chess) The interruption of the line between an attacked piece and its defender by sacrificially interposing a piece.

(linguistics) A negative or inappropriate language transfer.

verb

(nonstandard) To interfere.

Roots

interinter- · Latin · between, within ferio-fere · Latin · to strike

Synonyms for interference

hindrancen meddlingn interventionn noisen obtrusionn intrusionn obstructionn encumbrancen intrudingadj interpositionn encroachmentn

Synonyms & related words for interference

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of interference — including hindrance, meddling, intervention, noise, obtrusion, intrusion. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to interference

Explore words related to interference — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include interfering, disturbance, interferer, interfered, interferes, jamming, sferics, meddles. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for interference

Common synonyms for interference include hindrance, meddling, intervention, noise, obtrusion, intrusion, obstruction, encumbrance — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does interference come from?

The word interference breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: inter-, from Latin inter (“between, within”); and -fere, from Latin ferio (“to strike”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.