in·ter·est ( n trst, -t r-st, -tr st )n.1. a. A state of curiosity or concern about or attention to something: an interest in sports. b. Something, such as a quality, subject, or activity, that evokes this mental state: counts the theater among his interests. 2. Regard for one's own benefit or advantage; self-interest. Often used in the plural: It is in your best interest to cooperate. She kept her own interests in mind. 3. a. A right, claim, or legal share: an interest in the new company. b. Something in which such a right, claim, or share is held: has interests overseas. c. A person or group of persons holding such a right, claim, or share: a petroleum interest. 4. Involvement with or participation in something: She has an interest in the quality of her education. 5. a. A charge for a loan, usually a percentage of the amount loaned. b. An excess or bonus beyond what is expected or due. 6. a. An interest group. b. The particular cause supported by an interest group. tr.v. in·ter·est·ed, in·ter·est·ing, in·ter·ests 1. To arouse the curiosity or hold the attention of: Your opinions interest me. 2. To cause to become involved or concerned with: tried to interest her in taking a walk. 3. Obsolete To concern or affect. Idiom: in the interest/interests of To the advantage of; for the sake of: thinking in the interest of the whole family; ate breakfast on the train in the interest of time.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin, it is of importance, third person sing. present tense of interesse, to be between, take part in : inter-, inter- + esse, to be; see es- in Indo-European roots.] |
interest Noun 1. curiosity or concern about something or someone 2. the power of causing this: to have great interest 3. something in which one is interested; a hobby or pursuit 4. (often pl) advantage: in one's own interests 5. money paid for the use of credit or borrowed money: she borrowed money at 25 per cent interest 6. (often pl) a right, share, or claim, esp. in a business or property 7. (often pl) a group of people with common aims: foreign interests Verb 1. to arouse the curiosity or concern of 2. to cause to become interested or involved in something [Latin: it concerns]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. |  interest - a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something; "an interest in music"enthusiasm - a lively interest; "enthusiasm for his program is growing" concern - something that interests you because it is important or affects you; "the safety of the ship is the captain's concern" curiosity, wonder - a state in which you want to learn more about something | | 2. |  interest - a reason for wanting something done; "for your sake"; "died for the sake of his country"; "in the interest of safety"; "in the common interest"benefit, welfare - something that aids or promotes well-being; "for the benefit of all" behalf - for someone's benefit (usually expressed as `in behalf' rather than `on behalf' and usually with a possessive); "in your behalf"; "campaigning in his own behalf"; "spoke a good word in his friend's behalf" | | 3. | interest - the power of attracting or holding one's attention (because it is unusual or exciting etc.); "they said nothing of great interest"; "primary colors can add interest to a room"power, powerfulness - possession of controlling influence; "the deterrent power of nuclear weapons"; "the power of his love saved her"; "his powerfulness was concealed by a gentle facade" newsworthiness, news - the quality of being sufficiently interesting to be reported in news bulletins; "the judge conceded the newsworthiness of the trial"; "he is no longer news in the fashion world" topicality - the attribute of being of interest at the present time; "the library had to discard books that had lost their topicality" vividness, color, colour - interest and variety and intensity; "the Puritan Period was lacking in color"; "the characters were delineated with exceptional vividness" shrillness - the quality of being sharp or harsh to the senses; "the shrillness of her hair color" | | 4. | interest - a fixed charge for borrowing money; usually a percentage of the amount borrowed; "how much interest do you pay on your mortgage?"compound interest - interest calculated on both the principal and the accrued interest | | 5. | interest - (law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something; "they have interests all over the world"; "a stake in the company's future"law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" share, percentage, portion, part - assets belonging to or due to or contributed by an individual person or group; "he wanted his share in cash" grubstake - funds advanced to a prospector or to someone starting a business in return for a share of the profits insurable interest - an interest in a person or thing that will support the issuance of an insurance policy; an interest in the survival of the insured or in the preservation of the thing that is insured vested interest - (law) an interest in which there is a fixed right to present or future enjoyment and that can be conveyed to another security interest - any interest in a property that secures the payment of an obligation fee - an interest in land capable of being inherited equity - the ownership interest of shareholders in a corporation reversion - (law) an interest in an estate that reverts to the grantor (or his heirs) at the end of some period (e.g., the death of the grantee) right - (frequently plural) the interest possessed by law or custom in some intangible thing; "mineral rights"; "film rights" | | 6. |  interest - (usually plural) a social group whose members control some field of activity and who have common aims; "the iron interests stepped up production"special interest - an individual or group who are concerned with some particular part of the economy and who try to influence legislators or bureaucrats to act in their favor vested interest - groups that seek to control a social system or activity from which they derive private benefit | | 7. |  interest - a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly); "sailing is her favorite pastime"; "his main pastime is gambling"; "he counts reading among his interests"; "they criticized the boy for his limited pursuits"diversion, recreation - an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates; "scuba diving is provided as a diversion for tourists"; "for recreation he wrote poetry and solved crossword puzzles"; "drug abuse is often regarded as a form of recreation" | | Verb | 1. | interest - excite the curiosity of; engage the interest ofengage, engross, occupy, absorb - consume all of one's attention or time; "Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely" spellbind, transfix, fascinate, grip - to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe; "The snake charmer fascinates the cobra" | | 2. | interest - be on the mind of; "I worry about the second Germanic consonant shift" | | 3. | interest - be of importance or consequence; "This matters to me!" |
interest noun 1. importance, concern, significance, moment, note, weight, import, consequence, substance, relevance, momentousness << OPPOSITE insignificance noun 2. attention, regard, curiosity, notice, suspicion, scrutiny, heed, absorption, attentiveness, inquisitiveness, engrossment << OPPOSITE disregard noun 3. (often plural) hobby, activity, pursuit, entertainment, relaxation, recreation, amusement, preoccupation, diversion, pastime, leisure activity verb 7. arouse your curiosity, engage, appeal to, fascinate, move, involve, touch, affect, attract, grip, entertain, absorb, intrigue, amuse, divert, rivet, captivate, catch your eye, hold the attention of, engross << OPPOSITE bore  Translations interest [ˈɪntrɪst] n ( COMM) → interés mbusiness interests → negocios mpl; British interests in the Middle East → los intereses británicos en el Medio Oriente
 interest [ˈɪntrɪst] n → intérêt m; British interests in the Middle East → les intérêts britanniques au Moyen-Orient; his main interest is ... → ce qui l'intéresse le plus est ...
 interest [ˈɪntrɪst] n → Interesse nt; ( Comm) ( in company) → Anteil m; (000) (sum of money) → Zinsen pl simple interest → einfache Zinsen; British interests in the Middle East → britische Interessen im Nahen Osten;
 interest [ˈɪntrɪst] n → interesse m; (COMM) (= stake, share); interessi mpl business interests → attività fpl commerciali; British interests in the Middle East → gli interessi (commerciali) britannici nel Medio Oriente
|
|
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
interest
