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Meaning & use

intercept

verb, noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˌɪntəˈsept/
US/ˌɪntərˈsept/

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive

    To stop or catch someone or something on the way, before it arrives where it was going.

    Grammar: Always takes an object: intercept a message.

    Patterns

    • intercept something
    • intercept someone on the way to something

    Border officers intercepted a parcel of illegal fireworks at the airport.

    The defender leaped up and intercepted the pass before it reached the striker.

    Someone had intercepted the letter, so she never received my apology.

  2. nouncountablemathematicstechnical

    The point where a line or curve crosses one of the axes on a graph.

    Grammar: Often written with the axis: the y-intercept.

    Patterns

    • the intercept of a line
    • the y-intercept of something

    The line crosses the vertical axis at an intercept of 4.

    To sketch the graph, first find the x-intercept by setting y to zero.

    A negative intercept means the line starts below the origin.

Word forms

third person singularintercepts
past tenseintercepted
past participleintercepted
-ing formintercepting

Common combinations

intercept a message
Hackers tried to intercept a message between the two banks.
intercept a pass
She read the play well and intercepted a pass near the halfway line.
intercept a missile
The system is designed to intercept a missile within seconds of launch.
intercept a call
Police got a warrant to intercept calls made from the house.
y-intercept
In y = 2x + 3, the y-intercept is 3.

Synonyms and how they differ

stop
Stop is general and need not involve something moving toward a goal, whereas intercept suggests catching it in transit.
seize
Seize stresses taking possession by force or authority, while intercept only requires catching something midway.
cut off
Cut off focuses on blocking a path or supply, and is less precise than intercept about catching a particular item or person.
waylay
Waylay is more dramatic and implies lying in wait to stop a person, often to rob or talk to them.

Opposites

let throughdeliver

Word family

interception noun
the act of stopping or catching something in transit
interceptor noun
a person or device, such as a fast aircraft, that intercepts
intercepted adjective
caught before reaching its target

Commonly confused: intercept or intersect?

intercept vs intersect

Intersect means to cross or cut through another line or road. Intercept means to catch something on its way.

Practice

Customs officials managed to ___ the shipment before it left the port.

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