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Interference

//ˌɪntəɹˈfɪɹɪns// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act of interfering with something, or something that interferes. countable, uncountable

    "Somewhat impeded by constant political interference of one sort or another, British Railways are nevertheless pressing ahead with a mammoth modernisation programme; [...]"

  2. 2
    (American football) blocking a player's path with your body wordnet
  3. 3
    The illegal obstruction of an opponent in some ball games. countable, uncountable

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

  4. 4
    the act of hindering or obstructing or impeding wordnet
  5. 5
    An effect caused by the superposition of two systems of waves. countable, uncountable
Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome wordnet
  2. 7
    A distortion on a broadcast signal due to atmospheric or other effects. countable, uncountable

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

  3. 8
    a policy of intervening in the affairs of other countries wordnet
  4. 9
    In United States patent law, an inter partes proceeding to determine the priority issues of multiple patent applications; a priority contest. US, countable, uncountable
  5. 10
    electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication wordnet
  6. 11
    The interruption of the line between an attacked piece and its defender by sacrificially interposing a piece. countable, uncountable
  7. 12
    A negative or inappropriate language transfer. countable, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To interfere. nonstandard

    "In economic terms, the two production processes can be simultaneously implemented without interferencing between themselves."

Etymology

Etymology 1

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.

Etymology 2

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.

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