interest
Syllables: in·ter·estUK/ˈɪn.tɹɛst//ˈɪn.tɹɛst/
interest noun: the price paid for obtaining, or price received for providing, money or goods in a credit transaction, calculated as a fraction of the amount or value of what was borrowed.
Noun
interest (usually uncountable, plural interests)
- The price paid for obtaining, or price received for providing, money or goods in a credit transaction, calculated as a fraction of the amount or value of what was borrowed.
- Our bank offers borrowers an annual interest of 5%.
- Synonyms:
- cost of money, oker
- Any excess over and above an exact equivalent
- You shall have your desires with interestc. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
- A great attention and concern from someone or something; intellectual curiosity.
- He has a lot of interest in vintage cars.
- I have a lot of interest in doing online coding.
- Attention that is given to or received from someone or something.
- […] St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London. Close-packed, crushed by the buttressed height of the railway viaduct, rendered airless by huge walls of factories, it at once banished lively interest from a stranger's mind...1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC
- Over the past few years, however, interest has waxed again. A series of epidemiological studies, none big enough to be probative, but all pointing in the same direction, persuaded Emma Wilmot of the University of Leicester, in Britain, to carry out a meta-analysis. This is a technique that combines...2013 August 10, “Standing orders”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848
- Advantage, welfare, or something that serves it.
- The whole difference comes down to this, that Trotsky believed himself to 'represent the historical interests of the proletariat', while Stalin believed that he, Stalin, did so.1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume III: The Breakdown, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozkład (in...
- An involvement, claim, right, share, stake in or link with a financial, business, or other undertaking or endeavor.
- When scientists and doctors write articles and when politicians run for office, they are required in many countries to declare any existing conflicts of interest (competing interests).
- I have business interests in South Africa.
- Something which, or someone whom, one is interested in.
- Lexicography is one of my interests.
- Victorian furniture is an interest of mine.
- Condition or quality of exciting concern or being of importance.
- The Conscience indeed is already violated when to moral good or evil we oppose things possessing no moral interest: […]1809 September 7, S[amuel] T[aylor] Coleridge, “THURSDAY, September 7, 1809”, in The Friend; a Literary, Moral, and Political Weekly Paper, […], number 4, Penrith, Cumbria: […] J. Brown; and sold by...
- Injury, or compensation for injury; damages.
- How can this infinite beauty, power and goodnes admit any correspondencie or similitude with a thing so base and abject as we are, without extreme interest and manifest derogation from his divine greatnesse?1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC
- The persons and companies interested in any particular business or measure, taken collectively.
- the iron interest; the cotton interest
- The ‘Railway Interest’ in Parliament constituted a very powerful lobby at this time [mid to late nineteenth century]. It was pledged to put the railway case forward in all matters involving that industry that came before Parliament. This body of MPs was composed of men who were nearly all railway...2023, David Brandon, The General Strike 1926: A New History, Pen and Sword Books Ltd, →ISBN, page 29
- A genre of factual short films, generally more amusing than informative, especially those not covered by a more specific genre label.
- By interest films is meant a variety of subjects which cannot be classified under such recognized headings as fiction, travel, or topical. They include wonderful inventions, little known industries, applied art, feats of engineering, and other events capable of effective illustration.1921 Davidson Boughey, The Film Industry (London : Sir Isaac Pitman) p. 76
- The arrangements made ensured that the total cost of censorship could be kept down to one-fifth of a penny per foot of film censored (and even one-tenth of a penny per foot in cases of Topical, Travel, Interest and Educational Films).1924 March 5, Kevin O'Higgins, “CENSORSHIP OF FILMS ACT, 1923”, in Dáil debates, volume 6, number 22
Verb
interest (third-person singular simple present interests, present participle interesting, simple past and past participle interested)
- To engage the attention of; to awaken interest in; to excite emotion or passion in, in behalf of a person or thing.
- It might interest you to learn that others have already tried that approach.
- Action films don't really interest me.
- To be concerned with or engaged in; to affect; to concern; to excite.
- Oh, rather, gracious sir, / Create me to this glory; since my cause / Doth interest this fair quarrel; valued least, / I am his equal.1840, Philip Massinger, Ford, John, The Dramatic Works of Massinger and Ford, Harvard University, published 1840, →OCLC, page 112
- To cause or permit to share.
- The mystical communion of all faithful men is such as maketh every one to be interested in those precious blessings which any one of them receiveth at God's hands.[1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page)
interest meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
interest in Hindi
- great attention and concern from someone
- रुचि ruci
- finance: price of credit
- ब्याज byāj, सूद sūd
- attention that is given to or received from someone or something
- रुचि ruci
- involvement in or link with financial, business, or other undertaking
- रुचि ruci
interest in Tamil
- great attention and concern from someone
- அக்கறை akkaṟai
- finance: price of credit
- வட்டி vaṭṭi
- attention that is given to or received from someone or something
- அக்கறை akkaṟai
- something one is interested in
- ஆர்வம் ārvam
interest in Marathi
- great attention and concern from someone
- स्वारस्य svārasya
- finance: price of credit
- व्याज vyāj
interest in Urdu
- great attention and concern from someone
- دِلْچَسْپی dilcaspī, عِلاقَہ 'ilāqa
- finance: price of credit
- سُود sūd, بَہْرَہ bahra
More languagesFewer languages
- interest in Bengali
- সুদ śud
- interest in Telugu
- ఆసక్తి āsakti, వడ్డీ vaḍḍī
- interest in Malayalam
- താല്പര്യം tālparyaṁ, പലിശ paliśa
- interest in Kannada
- ಆಸಕ್ತಿ āsakti
- interest in Punjabi
- ਗ਼ਰਜ਼ ġaraz
- interest in Gujarati
- વ્યાજ vyāj
- interest in Odia
- କୁଶୀଦ kuśida, ଲାଭ lābha, ବୃଦ୍ଧି bruddhi
- interest in Sanskrit
- हित hita, अर्थ ártha
- interest in Assamese
- সুদ xud
- interest in Nepali
- चाख cākh
- interest in Tagalog
- kawilihan, interes, patubo, tubo
- interest in Arabic
- اِهْتِمَام ihtimām, فَائِدَة fāʔida
- interest in Malay
- minat, bunga, faedah, kepentingan
- interest in Indonesian
- minat, ketertarikan, bunga, renten
- interest in Thai
- ดอกเบี้ย dɔ̀ɔk-bîia
- interest in Vietnamese
- lãi, làm... chú ý
- interest in Myanmar
- အတိုး a.tui:, ဝါသနာ wasa.na
Examples of interest in a sentence
- She has an interest in the proceedings, and all stakeholders' interests must be protected.
- The main character's romantic interest will be played by a non-professional actor.
- This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’ and if you don't look out there's likely to be some nice, lively dog taking an interest in your underpinning.”1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
- Over the past few years, however, interest has waxed again.2013 August 10, “Standing orders”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
- Across Japan, technology companies and private investors are racing to install devices that until recently they had little interest in: solar panels.2013 June 21, Chico Harlan, “Japan pockets the subsidy […]”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 30:
- However he lost out, as other business interests whom he had alienated by his efforts to squeeze every penny of profit from the canal, supported the construction of the railway.2025 June 25, Christian Wolmar, “How slow boats gradually gave way to rail”, in RAIL, number 1038, page 57:
Synonyms of interest
Antonyms
Forms of interest
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | interests |
| alternative form | intherest |
| alternative form (obsolete) | enterest |
| alternative form (obsolete) | interess |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | interests |
| present participle | interesting |
| past participle | interested |
| past | interested |
Origin of interest
From Middle English interest, from Old French interesse and interest (French intérêt), from Medieval Latin interesse, from Latin interesse.
Words formed from interest
- adverse interest
- adverse interest rule
- by-interest
- community interest company
- counterinterest
- deposit interest retention tax
- executory interest
- expression of interest
- fee simple subject to executory interest
- hyperinterest
- interest-bearing
- interest-free
- interest in land
- interest inventory
- interestless
- interest rate
- interest rate guarantee
- interest rate swap
- interest-sensitive
- in the interest of justice
- in the interest of time
- legitimate interest
- national interest
- negative interest
- noninterest
- of interest
- overinterest
- person of interest
- point of interest
- possessory interest
- rate of interest
- riding interest
- rooting interest
- self-interest
- shifting executory interest
- special interest group
- springing executory interest
- subinterest
- supercompound interest
- super-compound interest
- time-preference theory of interest
- uninterest
- vest in interest
- deferred interest bond
- earnings before interest and taxes
- indication of interest
- insurable interest
- interest cover
- interest expense
- pooling of interest
- conflict of interest
- interest group
- interestable
- interested
- interesting
- reinterest
Phrases with interest
- life interest
- love interest
- open interest
- human interest
- interest rates
- legal interest
- future interest
- interest groups
- marine interest
- public interest
- simple interest
- vested interest
30 more phrasesFewer phrases
- carried interest
- nominee interest
- special interest
- compound interest
- key interest rate
- rates of interest
- security interest
- vests in interest
- key interest rates
- people of interest
- points of interest
- vested in interest
- interest rate swaps
- persons of interest
- vesting in interest
- controlling interest
- human interest story
- interest inventories
- interest rate collar
- policy interest rate
- conflicts of interest
- interest rate collars
- policy interest rates
- human interest stories
- expressions of interest
- special interest groups
- interest rate guarantees
- right, title and interest
- community interest companies
- fees simple subject to executory interest
Questions about interest
- What does interest mean?
- Interest means the price paid for obtaining, or price received for providing, money or goods in a credit transaction, calculated as a fraction of the amount or value of what was borrowed.
- What is interest in Hindi?
- Interest in Hindi is रुचि (ruci), ब्याज (byāj), सूद (sūd). See Interest meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use interest in a sentence?
- She has an interest in the proceedings, and all stakeholders' interests must be protected.
- What part of speech is interest?
- Interest can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce interest?
- Interest is pronounced /ˈɪn.tɹɛst/ (UK).
- What is the plural of interest?
- The plural of interest is interests.
Words near interest in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: interest (page history and authors); ಆಸಕ್ತಿ (Kannada) (page history and authors); ਗ਼ਰਜ਼ (Punjabi) (page history and authors); વ્યાજ (Gujarati) (page history and authors); କୁଶୀଦ (Odia) (page history and authors); अर्थ (Sanskrit) (page history and authors); সুদ (Assamese) (page history and authors); चाख (Nepali) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-interest.ogg.
Cite this entry: “interest.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/interest. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.