interview
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A meeting where someone asks you questions, often for a job.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
intervyooSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɪntɚvju
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 questioning of a person (or a conversation in which information is elicited); often conducted by journalists
“My interviews with teenagers revealed a weakening of religious bonds.”
A conversation in person (or, by extension, over the telephone, Internet etc.) between a journalist and someone whose opinion or statements he or she wishes to record for publication, broadcast etc.
A formal meeting, in person, for the assessment of a candidate or applicant.
Any face-to-face meeting, especially of an official or adversarial nature.
A police interrogation of a suspect or party in an investigation.
An audition.
verb
transitive
To ask questions of (somebody); to have an interview.
intransitive
To be interviewed; to attend an interview.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The questioning of a person (or a conversation in which information is elicited); often conducted by journalists
Used this way, interview is a common word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“My interviews with teenagers revealed a weakening of religious bonds.”
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Curious and questioning
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “interview with …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: interview with …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use interview
- “It was a dreadful interview; I have no hope of getting the job.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A person who conducts an interview.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An interview to determine whether an applicant is suitable for a position of employment.
An interview to determine whether an applicant is suitable for a position of employment.
An interview conducted over the telephone.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A person who is interviewed.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to ask questions of (somebody)
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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.