intercept

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˌɪntɜrˈsɛpt/

📖 Definitions

  1. verb
    To stop, seize, or interrupt (something or someone) in progress or course before arrival at a destination or intended place.; To stop or catch (a ball, pass, or other object) in flight, especially in sports.; To receive or capture (a message, signal, or communication) intended for another party.; To obstruct or block the passage of (light, sound, or other radiation).
  2. noun
    An act of intercepting something, especially a message or communication.; In sports, the act of catching or seizing a ball or pass intended for an opponent.; In mathematics, the point at which a line, curve, or surface crosses an axis of a coordinate system.; In mathematics, the distance from the origin to the point where a line or curve crosses an axis.; A message or communication that has been intercepted.; In military usage, an aircraft or missile sent to intercept an enemy aircraft or projectile.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: intercepts 3rd sing.: intercepts Past: intercepted Past part.: intercepted Pres part.: intercepting

Collocations

intercept a passintercept a messageintercept a callintercept a signalx-intercepty-intercept

Derivatives

interceptioninterceptorinterceptive

Synonyms

catchstopblockcut offdivertseize

Antonyms

releaselet through

Commonly confused

interception
EN: 'interception' is the noun referring to the act or result of intercepting; 'intercept' can be both a verb and a noun (e.g., a mathematical intercept).
intercept
EN: As a verb, 'intercept' means to stop or seize something in transit; as a noun in mathematics, it refers to the point where a curve crosses an axis.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember that 'intercept' ends in '-cept' (from Latin 'capere', to seize), not '-cept' confused with '-cept' in 'concept' or '-ceive' in 'receive'.

💬 Examples

  1. The police managed to intercept the smugglers before they reached the border.

  2. The linebacker intercepted the quarterback's pass and ran it back for a touchdown.

  3. Intelligence agencies intercepted the enemy's encrypted radio transmissions.

  4. The thick clouds intercepted most of the sunlight, leaving the valley in shadow.

  5. The intercept revealed the enemy's plans for a surprise attack.

  6. The cornerback's intercept in the fourth quarter sealed the victory.

  7. The y-intercept of the line is 3, meaning it crosses the y-axis at the point (0, 3).

  8. The x-intercept can be found by setting y equal to zero and solving for x.

  9. Analysts spent hours decoding the intercepts obtained from the enemy's communication network.

  10. Two fighter jets were scrambled on an intercept of the unidentified aircraft entering restricted airspace.