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interference

 - 6 dictionary results

in⋅ter⋅fer⋅ence

  [in-ter-feer-uhns]
Use interference in a Sentence
–noun
1. an act, fact, or instance of interfering.
2. something that interferes.
3. Physics. the process in which two or more light, sound, or electromagnetic waves of the same frequency combine to reinforce or cancel each other, the amplitude of the resulting wave being equal to the sum of the amplitudes of the combining waves.
4. Radio.
a. a jumbling of radio signals, caused by the reception of undesired ones.
b. the signals or device producing the incoherence.
5. Football.
a. the act of a teammate or of teammates running ahead of a ball-carrier and blocking prospective tacklers out of the way: to run interference for the halfback.
b. such a teammate or such teammates collectively: to follow one's interference.
c. the act of illegally hindering an opponent from catching a forward pass or a kick.
6. Aeronautics. the situation that arises when the aerodynamic influence of one surface of an aircraft conflicts with the influence of another surface.
7. Linguistics.
a. (in bilingualism and foreign-language learning) the overlapping of two languages.
b. deviation from the norm of either language in such a situation.
8. the distorting or inhibiting effect of previously learned behavior on subsequent learning.
9. Psychology. the forgetting of information or an event due to inability to reconcile it with conflicting information obtained subsequently.
—Idiom
10. run interference, Informal. to deal with troublesome or time-consuming matters, as for a colleague or supervisor, esp. to forestall problems.
Origin:
1775–85; interfere + -ence
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To interference
in·ter·fer·ence   (ĭn'tər-fîr'əns)   
n.  

    1. The act or an instance of hindering, obstructing, or impeding.

    2. Something that hinders, obstructs, or impedes.

    3. Sports Illegal obstruction or hindrance of an opposing player, such as hindrance of a receiver by a defender in football, hindrance of a fielder by a base runner in baseball, or checking a player not in possession of the puck in ice hockey.

    4. Football The legal blocking of defensive tacklers to protect and make way for the ball carrier.

    5. The inhibition or prevention of clear reception of broadcast signals.

    6. The distorted portion of a received signal.

    1. Sports Illegal obstruction or hindrance of an opposing player, such as hindrance of a receiver by a defender in football, hindrance of a fielder by a base runner in baseball, or checking a player not in possession of the puck in ice hockey.

    2. Football The legal blocking of defensive tacklers to protect and make way for the ball carrier.

    3. The inhibition or prevention of clear reception of broadcast signals.

    4. The distorted portion of a received signal.

  3. Physics The variation of wave amplitude that occurs when waves of the same or different frequency come together.

  4. Electronics

    1. The inhibition or prevention of clear reception of broadcast signals.

    2. The distorted portion of a received signal.

  5. The negative or distorting effect that new learning can have on previous learning or that previous learning can have on new learning.

in'ter·fer·en'tial (-fə-rěn'shəl) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

interference

The disturbance that results when two waves come together at a single point in space; the disturbance is the sum of the contribution of each wave. For example, if two crests of identical waves arrive together, the net disturbance will be twice as large as each incoming wave; if the crest of one wave arrives with the trough of another, there will be no disturbance at all.

Note: One common example of interference is the appearance of dark bands when a light is viewed through a window screen.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: in·ter·fer·ence
Function: noun
1 a : the act or an instance of interfering <interference with contract> b : something that interferes
2 : a hearing to determine the priority of invention at issue in a patent dispute
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: in·ter·fer·ence
Pronunciation: -'fir-&n(t)s
Function: noun
1 : the act or process of interfering
2 : the mutual effect on meeting of two wave trains (as of light or sound) that constitutes alternating areas of increased and decreased amplitude (as light and dark lines or louder and softersound)
3 : partial or complete inhibition or sometimes facilitation of other genetic crossovers in the vicinity of a chromosomal locus where a preceding crossover has occurred
4 : the disturbing effect of new learning on the performance of previously learned behavior with which it is inconsistent —compare NEGATIVE TRANSFER
5 : prevention of typical growth and development of a virus in a suitable host bythe presence of another virus in the same host individual —see INTERFERENCE PHENOMENON
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

interference in·ter·fer·ence (ĭn'tər-fēr'əns)
n.

  1. The variation of wave amplitude that occurs when waves of the same or nearly the same frequency come together.

  2. The condition in which infection of a cell by one virus prevents superinfection by another virus.

  3. The condition in which superinfection by a second virus prevents effects that would result from infection by either virus alone, even though both viruses persist.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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