interfere

interfere — verb

1. to take part in a situation that does not involve you, often making things worse

1.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

to take part in a situation that does not involve you, often making things worse for the people who are directly concerned

Example

Yael told her brother not to interfere in her relationship.

interfere + in + personal matter

The opposition party accused the government of interfering in the election.

passive: accused of interfering in

Common collocations
  • interfere in politics
  • interfere in personal affairs
  • interfere in a relationship
  • stop interfering
Synonyms
  • meddle

    more specifically suggests unnecessary or annoying involvement in small matters

  • intrude

    implies entering a space or situation where one is not welcome, often violating privacy

  • butt in

    informal; typically refers to interrupting conversations or giving unsolicited opinions

Antonyms
  • stay out

    phrase meaning to deliberately not get involved

Grammar Patterns

interfere + in + something

interfere + with + something/someone

Usage Note

Always intransitive — the person or area affected is introduced by in or with. Interfere in typically introduces a domain (relationship, politics, affairs); interfere with introduces actions, plans, or people.

Common Mistakes

My boss interfered my project.
My boss interfered with my project.
interfere is intransitive and always requires a preposition before the object.
She interfered to his decision.
She interfered in his decision.
use 'in' for decisions and affairs, not 'to'.

2. to prevent or slow down the normal progress or operation of something by creatin

2.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to prevent or slow down the normal progress or operation of something by creating problems or obstacles

Example

Pim's recovery was interfered with by a serious infection.

passive: be interfered with by

Loud music from the street interfered with Christopher's ability to study.

interfere + with + ability to

Common collocations
  • interfere with recovery
  • interfere with traffic
  • interfere with sleep
  • interfere with concentration
Synonyms
  • hinder

    more direct; suggests creating obstacles that slow or stop progress

  • obstruct

    suggests more physical or official blocking

  • impede

    formal; suggests slowing progress rather than stopping it completely

Antonyms
  • facilitate

    formal; means to make a process easier

  • help

    general opposite; to make progress possible or easier

Grammar Patterns

interfere + with + something

Usage Note

Always intransitive followed by with. The object can be a physical process, a function, a system, or a person's action. Frequently used in medical, technical, and environmental contexts.

Common Mistakes

The bad weather interfered our travel plans.
The bad weather interfered with our travel plans.
interfere is intransitive and requires 'with' before the object.
Lack of sleep interfered to her work performance.
Lack of sleep interfered with her work performance.
use 'with', not 'to'.
Phrasal verbs

interfere with

phrasal verb

To stop something from working or developing normally.

The loud music interfered with my ability to study.

Did the storm interfere with your travel plans?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Interfere, meddle, intrude, and butt in all describe unwanted involvement, but they differ in strength and formality. Meddle suggests persistent, annoying involvement in trivial matters, while interfere is broader and applies to serious situations like politics or investigations. Intrude implies entering a space where one does not belong, often violating privacy. Butt in is informal and typically refers to interrupting conversations or offering unsolicited opinions. Intervene is more neutral and can be positive or negative, unlike interfere which carries a negative tone. For example, 'The referee intervened to stop the fight' (neutral/positive) vs. 'The coach should not interfere with the referee's calls' (negative).

meddleintrudebutt in ↗intervene ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • interfere with the process of
  • interfere in the affairs of

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Interfere comes from Latin inter- (between, among) and ferire (to strike). The original meaning was 'to strike against each other' or 'to come between.' It entered English through Old French s'entreferir (to strike each other). The modern meanings of meddling and obstructing both emerged from this idea of coming between two things and disrupting them.