intercept
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To gain possession of in a ball game.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihntersehptSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪntɚˈsɛpt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitivesports
To gain possession of (the ball) in a ball game.
transitive
To stop, deflect or divert (something in progress or motion).
transitiveAmerican football
Of a defensive player: to steal a pass thrown by the opposing team, gaining possession of the ball.
noun
An interception of a radio broadcast or a telephone call.
An interception of a missile.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To gain possession of (the ball) in a ball game.
Used this way, intercept is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a sporting use: familiar to anyone who follows the game, and puzzling to anyone who does not.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Sports
- News/reporting
- Everyday conversation
Nearby words
- bug , more casual, better suited to speech than writing
- wiretap , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A fast maneuverable fighter plane designed to intercept enemy aircraft.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The act of intercepting.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.