INTERFERE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does interfere mean? 

• INTERFERE (verb)
  The verb INTERFERE has 2 senses:

1. come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle

2. get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action, or through force or threat of force

  Familiarity information: INTERFERE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INTERFERE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they interfere    ... he / she / it interferes   
Past simple: interfered   
Past participle: interfered   
-ing form: interfering   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

Your talking interferes with my work!

Hypernyms (to "interfere" is one way to...):

hinder; impede (be a hindrance or obstacle to)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

interference (the act of hindering or obstructing or impeding)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action, or through force or threat of force

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

interfere; interpose; intervene; step in

Context example:

Why did the U.S. not intervene earlier in WW II?

Hypernyms (to "interfere" is one way to...):

interact (act together or towards others or with others)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "interfere"):

meddle; tamper (intrude in other people's affairs or business; interfere unwantedly)

interlope (encroach on the rights of others, as in trading without a proper license)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

interference (a policy of intervening in the affairs of other countries)

 Context examples 

Then, to the two affrighted onlookers: "Keep away! If you interfere, somebody's liable to get hurt."

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

The event does not generally interfere with usual activities of daily living.

(Mild Adverse Event, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

The event does not generally interfere with usual daily activities.

(Mild Adverse Event, NCI Thesaurus)

She discovered the way that the BPAs - sometimes referred to as 'gender-bending chemicals - interfered with the production of sperm, eggs, and male and female chromosomes.

(Humans exposed to far more hormone-disrupting chemicals than thought, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

This is done by interfering with the oxidation of iodide ion and iodotyrosyl groups through inhibition of the peroxidase enzyme.

(Methimazole, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

This prevented the background light that could interfere with the detection of signal from the samples.

(Smartphone microscope detects nanoparticles and viruses, NIH)

Minocycline binds to the bacterial 30S ribosomal subunit and interferes with the binding of tRNA to the ribosomal complex, thereby inhibiting protein translation in bacteria.

(Minocycline Hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

This leads to an inhibition of bacterial protein synthesis and consequently interferes with cell growth.

(minocycline-EDTA, NCI Thesaurus)

You must not interfere, come what may. You understand?

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

After binding to CD30, this agent interferes with the G1 phase of the cell cycle, thereby inducing growth arrest and apoptosis in susceptible tumor cell populations.

(Monoclonal Antibody SGN-30, NCI Thesaurus)