interference

[in-ter-feer-uh ns] /ˌɪn tərˈfɪər əns/
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.
  1. a jumbling of radio signals, caused by the reception of undesired ones.
  2. the signals or device producing the incoherence.
5.
Football.
  1. 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.
  2. such a teammate or such teammates collectively:
    to follow one's interference.
  3. 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.
  1. (in bilingualism and foreign-language learning) the overlapping of two languages.
  2. 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.
Idioms
10.
run interference, Informal. to deal with troublesome or time-consuming matters, as for a colleague or supervisor, especially to forestall problems.
Origin
1775-85; interfere + -ence
Related forms
overinterference, noun
Examples from the web for interference
  • Compulsory sterilizations during the first half of the last century are a chilling reminder about too much state interference.
  • These compact systems allow scientists to study animal behavior without interference by a human observer.
  • Nature reserves are meant to serve as safe havens for endangered species and keep human interference to a minimum.
  • The new phones hopped between frequencies and spread their signal across the spectrum to overcome interference.
  • Kennan's interference hardly slowed the flow of work about him.
  • But two long-running industrial sagas, in energy and aerospace, still provoke plenty of political interference.
  • The interference appeared to be coming from everywhere.
  • Some observers fear that interference is becoming so severe that soon there won't be enough spectrum to go around.
  • interference in trade among countries is as harmful as interference in domestic trade.
  • The deaths were caused by flooding and possibly the interference of tourists who came to watch the migration, they add.
British Dictionary definitions for interference

interference

/ˌɪntəˈfɪərəns/
noun
1.
the act or an instance of interfering
2.
(physics) the process in which two or more coherent waves combine to form a resultant wave in which the displacement at any point is the vector sum of the displacements of the individual waves. If the individual waves converge the resultant is a system of fringes. Two waves of equal or nearly equal intensity moving in opposite directions combine to form a standing wave
3.
Also called radio interference. any undesired signal that tends to interfere with the reception of radio waves
4.
(aeronautics) the effect on the flow pattern around a body of objects in the vicinity
Derived Forms
interferential (ˌɪntəfəˈrɛnʃəl) adjective
Word Origin and History for interference
n.

1783, formed irregularly from interfere on model of difference, etc. Broadcasting and telephoning sense is from 1887. In chess from 1913; in U.S. football from 1894.

interference in Medicine

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.

interference in Science
interference
  (ĭn'tər-fîr'əns)   

  1. The superposition of two or more waves propagating through a given region. Depending on how the peaks and troughs of the interacting waves coincide with each other, the resulting wave amplitude can be higher or smaller than the amplitudes of the individual waves. ◇ When two waves interact so that they rise and fall together more than half the time, the amplitude of the resulting wave is greater than that of the larger wave. This is called constructive interference. ◇ When two waves interact such that they rise and fall together less than half the time, the resulting amplitude is smaller than the amplitude of the stronger wave. This interference is called destructive interference. It is possible for two waves of the same magnitude to completely cancel out in destructive interference where their sum is always zero, that is, where their peaks and troughs are perfectly opposed. See more at wave.

  2. In electronics, the distortion or interruption of one broadcast signal by others.


interference in Culture

interference definition


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.