interception
noun
Simple meaning
Preventing something from proceeding or arriving.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihntersehpshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪntɚˈsɛpʃən
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.
noun
The act of intercepting; preventing something from proceeding or arriving
“He resorted to the interception of his daughter's letters.”
An act of intercepting something, the state of being intercepted, or a thing that is intercepted.
American football
A passing play where the ball is caught by the opposing team.
An aeronautical action in which a fighter approaches a suspicious aircraft to escort it away from a prohibited area, or approaches an enemy aircraft to shoot it down.
Precipitation that does not reach the soil, but is instead intercepted by the leaves, branches of plants and the forest floor.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The act of intercepting; preventing something from proceeding or arriving
Used this way, interception is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“He resorted to the interception of his daughter's letters.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “interception of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: interception of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use interception
- “He resorted to the interception of his daughter's letters.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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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.