Interfere
verbBase interfere · Past interfered · Past Participle interfered · Present Participle interfering · 3rd person interferes
Definition
1. (verb) To get involved in a situation that is not your business, usually in a way that is unwanted or annoying.
2. (verb) To prevent something from working properly or happening the way it should.
2. (verb) To prevent something from working properly or happening the way it should.
Context Alive
Your mum keeps calling your older sister to ask about her relationship. She wants to know if they're planning to get married, if they've talked about kids, if he has a good job. Your sister is getting really annoyed. She told you last night that she wishes mum would stop interfering. She loves her but she wants to make her own decisions. You agree but you also know mum will never stop.
Meanings
2 meanings 1 To Get Involved When You Shouldn't (Verb) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about getting involved in someone else's situation when they don't want you to. Imagine your neighbour keeps telling you how to raise your children — what they should eat, when they should sleep, which school they should go to. They're interfering in something that's not their business. This is describing unwanted involvement that crosses a line. You might say "stop interfering" to someone who keeps giving opinions on your personal life, or someone could say "my boss interferes with everything I do" about a manager who can't let people work independently. Or think about a friend who tries to fix your argument with your partner even though nobody asked them to — that's interfering in something private. The word suggests the involvement is unwelcome and often makes things worse.
✏️ Interfere is almost always negative. If you say someone is "interfering," you're saying they should mind their own business. The adjective form interfering is even stronger — calling someone "an interfering person" is a real insult in British English. It's one of those words that sounds polite but carries a sharp message.
2 To Block or Disrupt Something (Verb) Common ▼
This meaning is about something getting in the way and stopping something else from working properly. Imagine you're trying to listen to a podcast but there's loud construction noise outside — the noise is interfering with your ability to hear. This is describing something that disrupts a process or prevents a normal result. You might hear "the weather interfered with our plans" when rain ruined an outdoor event, or someone could say "don't let your emotions interfere with your judgement" as advice to stay calm when making decisions. Or picture a radio signal that keeps breaking up because a building is interfering with the connection. The word suggests something is blocking, disrupting, or weakening something else.
✏️ In this meaning, interfere with is the key pattern. It's used a lot in science and technology — "the signal was interfered with," "the drug may interfere with other medications." In legal language, "interfering with evidence" means tampering with proof in a crime — a very serious offence.
Common Patterns
Basic Structures
interfere + in + something → getting involved in a situation that isn't yours
Please don't interfere in my personal life.
interfere + with + something → disrupting or blocking something from working
The storm interfered with the satellite signal for hours.
stop/quit + interfering → telling someone to stop getting involved
I wish she'd stop interfering and let me handle it myself.
Common Structures
don't let + noun + interfere with + noun → advice not to let one thing disrupt another
Don't let your personal problems interfere with your work.
keep + interfering → continuing to get involved when not wanted
He keeps interfering even though everyone has asked him to stop.
have no right to + interfere → saying someone shouldn't get involved
You have no right to interfere in how I raise my children.
Collocations
10 collocationsinterfere in someone's life
to get involved in someone's personal matters
interfere with plans
to disrupt or ruin arrangements
interfere with work
to prevent someone from doing their job properly
interfere with a signal
to block or weaken a radio, phone, or internet connection
interfere with sleep
to prevent someone from sleeping well
constantly interfere
to keep getting involved again and again
interfere with the process
to disrupt the way something is supposed to happen
interfere with evidence
to tamper with proof in a legal case
interfere with medication
when one drug affects how another one works
right to interfere
the authority or reason to get involved in something
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
I wish my mother-in-law would stop interfering in our marriage.
I wish my partner's mother would stop getting involved in our relationship.
2
The loud music from next door interfered with my ability to concentrate.
The noisy music from the neighbours made it impossible for me to focus.
3
Don't let fear interfere with your decision — just go for it.
Don't let being scared get in the way of what you want to do — just try it.
4
The government was accused of interfering in the country's elections.
The government was blamed for getting involved in another nation's voting process.
5
This medication may interfere with the ones you're already taking.
This drug might affect how your current medicines work.
6
He kept interfering during the meeting and wouldn't let anyone else speak.
He kept jumping in during the meeting and didn't give anyone a chance to talk.
7
Bad weather interfered with the flight schedule and hundreds of passengers were stuck.
Poor weather conditions disrupted the flights and left hundreds of travellers stranded.
8
She told her brother to stop interfering and let her solve her own problems.
She asked her brother to back off and let her deal with things on her own.
9
The tall buildings interfere with the phone signal in this area.
The high-rise buildings block the mobile reception around here.
10
You have no right to interfere in how I spend my money.
It's none of your business how I choose to use my money.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymsmeddle
very similar but sounds slightly more informal — often used for nosy people
intrude
more about entering a private space or moment without being invited
disrupt
focuses on the blocking/stopping effect rather than the unwanted involvement
Antonymsassist
to help rather than get in the way
support
to back someone up instead of disrupting them
ignore
to stay out of it and not get involved at all