with interest


With more than what one should receive, extra, and then some. For example, Mary borrowed Jane's new dress without asking, but Jane paid her back with interest—she drove off in Mary's car. This idiom alludes to interest in the financial sense. Its figurative use dates from the late 1500s.

Words Nearby with interest

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.