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

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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

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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

So does Borthwick, who saw Ben Spencer intercept and dive over for his first Test try to round off victory.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026

After a protest campaign, in 1807 the U.K. government made engaging in the Atlantic slave trade illegal, and deployed its Royal Navy to intercept ships carrying slaves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

It said that law enforcement officials were working to intercept any additional letters, but “it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

According to Beskrestnov, Ukraine uses Starlink to help intercept drones, although exactly how this works has never been made clear.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

"We were able to correct the intercept range with Hermes's attitude thrusters. But there's a problem with the intercept velocity."

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Even more promising, the researchers have already used this discovery to develop a molecular decoy that intercepts the toxin before it can damage colon cells.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

Deep inside an underground bunker in eastern Ukraine, commanders monitor the battlefield through a live video feed as a Ukrainian drone intercepts a Russian surveillance drone.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

The site has been expanded to include a sophisticated signals intelligence facility, which has prompted France and the US to consider moving their own bases in Djibouti to avoid Chinese intercepts, according to Kurlantzick.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Italy provides financial and technical support to the Libyan Coast Guard, which in turn intercepts boats and returns migrants to mainland Libya.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

At the start, Elizebeth had too few Enigma intercepts to draw any clear conclusions.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

At the spot where Oksinski's car was intercepted and he was shot by police there is another memorial, this one in honour of the officers still in hospital.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

Multiple witnesses told AFP on Sunday that Riyadh's financial district was targeted and the area's Aramco tower was damaged, after the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it had intercepted missiles launched by the group.

From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026

Lake and teammate Trent McDuffie each intercepted a pass thrown by Herbert during the Rams’ 24-9 victory over the Chargers on Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense also reported damages following another intercepted Houthi attack.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Ben intercepted a pass intended for Abbott, beat him down court, and laid the ball in.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Members of a Ukrainian drone unit that call themselves Peaky Blinders, named after the cult BBC TV series, have taken on the task of intercepting Russian drones.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

Appearing before a U.S. magistrate judge for an arraignment hearing, Alfozan’s lawyer, David W. Rizk, said his client would plead not guilty for the single count he has been charged with: intercepting oral communications.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Google’s AI summaries at the top of its search-result pages are intercepting online traffic and keeping more people from clicking through to the sites being mined by the AI for information.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

By intercepting the toxin, the decoys successfully protected the mice from BFT-induced damage.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

“We keep intercepting British accents on their radio messages too.”

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Related Words

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

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