interference
/,intə'fiərəns/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- Any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome: Something that blocks, hinders, or slows down progress or action.
- (American football) Blocking a player's path with your body: A legal tactic where a player uses their body to obstruct an opponent from reaching the ball carrier.
- Electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication: Unwanted noise or signals that disrupt the reception or clarity of a transmission, such as in radio or telephone.
- The act of hindering or obstructing or impeding: The action of getting in the way of a process or activity.
- A policy of intervening in the affairs of other countries: The involvement of one state in the domestic politics of another, often viewed as unwelcome.
Usage Examples
- Noun (General Obstruction):
- The loud construction noise was a constant interference with our phone calls.
- Bureaucratic interference slowed down the approval process for the new project.
- Noun (Sports):
- The running back scored a touchdown thanks to perfect interference from his blockers.
- Noun (Technical/Communication):
- The pilot reported radio interference from a nearby electrical storm.
- There's too much interference on this channel; let's switch to another frequency.
- Noun (Act of Hindering):
- The referee penalized the player for interference with the goalkeeper.
- Noun (Political):
- The ambassador condemned foreign interference in the nation's elections.
Advanced Usage
- "Run interference": In American football, to block for the ball carrier. Figuratively, to deal with problems or distractions for someone else so they can work undisturbed.
- While the CEO focused on the merger, her assistant ran interference with the press.
- "Constructive/Destructive interference": (Physics) Terms describing the combined effect of two waves. Constructive interference increases amplitude, while destructive interference decreases it.
- The pattern of light and dark bands is caused by the destructive interference of light waves.
Variants and Related Words
- Interfere (verb): To get involved in a situation where one is not wanted or needed; to hinder or obstruct.
- Please do not interfere with the experiment.
- Interfering (adjective): Tending to interfere, especially in an unwanted way.
- She found her neighbor's advice to be overly interfering.
Synonyms
- Obstruction: Something that blocks or clogs a passage.
- Hindrance: A thing that provides resistance, delay, or obstruction to something or someone.
- Meddling: Interfering in something that is not one's concern.
- Static: Electrical interference in communications; also used figuratively for criticism or opposition.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Interfere with: To prevent something from happening or developing successfully; to handle or tamper with something improperly.
- The bad weather interfered with our travel plans.
- Do not interfere with the emergency equipment.
Related Idioms
- To be a fly in the ointment: To be a minor irritation that spoils the success or enjoyment of something (similar to being an interference).
- The only interference with our perfect day was the sudden rain shower—it was the fly in the ointment.
Noun
- any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome
- (American football) blocking a player's path with your body
- he ran interference for the quarterback
- electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication
- the act of hindering or obstructing or impeding
- a policy of intervening in the affairs of other countries