interfere

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   To get involved or involve oneself, causing disturbance.

   • I always try not to interfere with other people’s personal affairs.
   • I’ve known ere now an interfering branch / Of alder catch my lifted axe behind me. / But that was in the woods, to hold my hand / From striking at another alder’s roots, / And that was, as I say, an alder branch.
2. 2

   Of waves, to be correlated with each other when overlapped or superposed.

   • Correlated waves interfere to produce interesting patterns, while uncorrelated waves overlap without interfering.
   • Where the radio-wave signals of the two radio stations interfere the listener hears nothing but noise.
3. 3

   Of a horse, to strike one foot against the opposite foot or ankle by using the legs.

4. ›+ 1 more definitionshow fewer

   1. 4

      To sexually molest, especially of a child.

      • The investigation found the girls had been interfered with.

The neighborhood

• neighborbusy body
• neighborinterferometry