intercept

American  

[in-ter-sept, in-ter-sept] / ˌɪn tərˈsɛpt, ˈɪn tərˌsɛpt /

verb (used with object)

intercepts, present (3rd person singular) intercepted, past participle, past intercepting present participle

1. to take, seize, or halt (someone or something on the way from one place to another); cut off from an intended destination.

   to intercept a messenger.

2. to see or overhear (a message, transmission, etc., meant for another).

   We intercepted the enemy's battle plan.

3. to stop or check (passage, travel, etc.).

   to intercept the traitor's escape.

4. Sports. to take possession of (a ball or puck) during an attempted pass by an opposing team.

5. to stop or interrupt the course, progress, or transmission of.

6. to destroy or disperse (enemy aircraft or a missile or missiles) in the air on the way to a target.

7. to stop the natural course of (light, water, etc.).

8. Mathematics. to mark off or include, as between two points or lines.

9. to intersect.

10. Obsolete. to prevent or cut off the operation or effect of.

11. Obsolete. to cut off from access, sight, etc.

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noun

1. an interception.

2. Mathematics.

   1. an intercepted segment of a line.

   2. (in a coordinate system) the distance from the origin to the point at which a curve or line intersects an axis.

intercept British  

verb

1. to stop, deflect, or seize on the way from one place to another; prevent from arriving or proceeding

2. sport to seize or cut off (a pass) on its way from one opponent to another

3. maths to cut off, mark off, or bound (some part of a line, curve, plane, or surface)

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noun

1. maths

   1. a point at which two figures intersect

   2. the distance from the origin to the point at which a line, curve, or surface cuts a coordinate axis

   3. an intercepted segment

2. sport the act of intercepting an opponent's pass

intercept Scientific  

/ ĭn′tər-sĕpt′ /

1. In a Cartesian coordinate system, the coordinate of a point at which a line, curve, or surface intersects a coordinate axis. If a curve intersects the x-axis at (4,0), then 4 is the curve's x-intercept; if the curve intersects the y-axis at (0,2), then 2 is its y-intercept.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interception
  noun
• interceptive
  adjective
• nonintercepting
  adjective
• noninterceptive
  adjective
• unintercepted
  adjective
• unintercepting
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• intercepting
  present
• intercepted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• intercept
  simple
• intercepts
  simple
• have intercepted
  perfect
• has intercepted
  perfect
• am intercepting
  progressive
• are intercepting
  progressive
• is intercepting
  progressive
• have been intercepting
  perfect progressive
• has been intercepting
  perfect progressive

Past

• intercepted
  simple
• had intercepted
  perfect
• was intercepting
  progressive
• were intercepting
  progressive
• had been intercepting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will intercept
  simple
• will have intercepted
  perfect
• will be intercepting
  progressive
• will have been intercepting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of intercept

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin interceptus, past participle of intercipere “to intercept,” equivalent to inter- “between, among, together” + -cep- (combining form of cap-, stem of capere “to take”) + -tus past participle suffix; see inter-; cf. incipient

Explanation

When you intercept a pass in football, you grab the ball that your opponent had thrown to a member of his own team. To intercept is to stop something from reaching its intended destination. If a national intelligence agency intercepts a telephone call being sent from one terrorist cell to another, they stop the message and also learn a bit about what's going on in the terrorist world. If you're planning a surprise party for your friend and she arrives a half hour early, you might run to intercept her while everyone rushes to hide.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intercept intercepts intercepted intercepting

Scientists hope that future spacecraft will be prepared to intercept newly discovered interstellar objects and examine them at close range.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

Kuwait's military said its air defence forces were working to intercept an ongoing attack on its territory, as countries across the Gulf were targeted by drones and missiles.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

The aim is to intercept patients with Ebola before they cross into Uganda, said Dr. Daniel Kyabayinze, Uganda’s director of public health.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Missiles typically carry bigger warheads than drones, can penetrate bunkers and are harder to intercept.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Occasionally English planes retaliated and then the German fighters might intercept them right over Haarlem.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

A top FBI official recently revealed that the bureau does have the authority to make such intercepts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

It now intercepts a vast proportion of drones and missiles – although Russia often fires them in such great numbers they overwhelmed air defences and many do get through.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

SkyFall’s P1-Sun intercepts other drones, like Russia’s versions of Iran’s Shahed drones.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

People still out exercising or running errands shared video of intercepts and damage in the city’s ubiquitous chat groups.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 28, 2026

Sunny tries to hand the leaflet back to Baba, but Ma intercepts it.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

A recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling put some limits on the government’s ability to immediately send back migrants intercepted at sea, though legal experts told Reuters that this does not prevent their eventual expulsion.

From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026

The air force said it had intercepted 54 out of 61 Russian cruise missiles fired, and 265 out of 284 Russian long-range drones based on the Iranian Shahed design.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

All missiles were successfully intercepted, according to Centcom.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

Bennett’s deep pass for Adams along the left sideline was tipped by new cornerback Jaylen Watson and intercepted by safety Kamren Kinchens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Dasch asked a hotel employee to mail it for him, but the FBI had intercepted the letter.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Kuwait, which like Bahrain hosts US military installations, also reported intercepting Iranian attacks.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

The Malaysian navy is efficient at intercepting them, and pushing them back out onto the open seas, and local fishing communities will not help.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

The Bliksem EXO system is designed to close a gap in European defenses by intercepting medium- and intermediate-range missiles in space.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Air raid alerts sounded in Bahrain, while Kuwait's army said its forces were intercepting "hostile aerial targets" on Monday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

“I don’t care whether you’re lying or not They’re going to get you for intercepting Major Major’s correspondence, too. A lot of that stuff is classified information.”

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Related Words

• ambush
• arrest
• block
• catch
• cut off
• deflect
• hijack
• prevent
• seize
• stop
• take away