interest
/ˈɪn.tɹɛst/ noun, verb
Forms interests interesting interested enterest interess intherest
- noun (uncountable, finance) 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%.”
- noun (uncountable, finance) Any excess over and above an exact equivalent
- noun (uncountable) A great attention and concern from someone or something; intellectual curiosity. “He has a lot of interest in vintage cars.”
- noun (uncountable) Attention that is given to or received from someone or something.
- noun (often in the plural) Advantage, welfare, or something that serves it.
- noun (countable) 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).”
- noun (countable) Something which, or someone whom, one is interested in. “Lexicography is one of my interests.”
- noun (uncountable) Condition or quality of exciting concern or being of importance.
- verb 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.”
- verb (obsolete, often impersonal) To be concerned with or engaged in; to affect; to concern; to excite.
- verb (obsolete) To cause or permit to share.
Synonyms
cost of money oker involvement sake interestingness stake interest group pastime pursuit concern occupy worry matter to
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English interest, from Old French interesse and interest (French intérêt), from Medieval Latin interesse, from Latin interesse.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To engage the attention of; to awaken interest in; to excite emotion or passion in, in behalf of a person or thing; as, the subject did not interest him; to interest one in charitable work.
- verb To be concerned with or engaged in; to affect; to concern; to excite; --often used impersonally. [Obs.]
- noun Excitement of feeling, whether pleasant or painful, accompanying special attention to some object; concern.
- noun Participation in advantage, profit, and responsibility; share; portion; part; as, an interest in a brewery; he has parted with his interest in the stocks.
Etymology [From interess'd, p. p. of the older form interess, fr. F. intéresser, L. interesse. See Interest, n.]
Etymology [OF. interest, F. intérêt, fr. L. interest it interests, is of interest, fr. interesse to be between, to be difference, to be importance; inter between + esse to be; cf. LL. interesse usury. See Essence.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “interest”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details