Word
interfere
Meanings
to get involved in someone else’s affairs or a situation in an unwanted or intrusive way
to disrupt, hinder, or prevent something from working or happening properly
to cause an unwanted effect on a signal, connection, or communication
Definition
To interfere means to get involved in a situation in an unwanted way that makes it harder for something to happen smoothly.
To interfere is to become involved in something that is not your responsibility, often causing annoyance or problems. It can also mean to disrupt a process or prevent something from working as intended. People usually use it when the involvement is unwanted or unhelpful.
Examples
- I didn’t want to interfere, but the discussion was heading toward a misunderstanding.
- You shouldn’t interfere with their agreement unless they ask for your input.
- He tends to interfere in workplace decisions that aren’t part of his role.
- She refused to interfere, trusting her team to resolve the conflict on their own.
- They warned that heavy traffic could interfere with the delivery schedule.
Common mistake
Learners often misuse the preposition, saying “interfere to something” instead of “interfere with something” or “interfere in something.”
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More verbs
- analyze To examine something carefully in order to understand it or explain it.
- scrutinize To scrutinize something is to examine it very carefully and in detail.
- affect To affect something is to influence it or cause it to change.
- allude To allude means to mention or suggest something indirectly without saying it clearly.
- elude To elude someone or something is to avoid being caught, understood, or remembered.