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Since the prefix inter means "between", it's not hard to see how intercept was created. Arms shipments coming to a country are sometimes intercepted, but such interceptions can sometimes be understood as acts of war. In football, soccer, and basketball, players try to intercept the ball as it's being passed by the other team. In years gone by, letters and documents being carried between officers or officials were sometimes intercepted when the carrier was caught; today, when these communications are generally electronic, an intercepted email isn't actually stopped, but simply read secretly by a third party.
Examples of intercept in a Sentence
Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2025
William Jewell’s Devin Walton intercepted a Miners pass and returned it 38 yards.
—The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2025
Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The tender moment abruptly ends when Sage and Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell) intercept, killing Doug and taking Polarity as their prisoner.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intercept
Cite this Entry
“Intercept.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intercept. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
intercept
1 of 2 verb
intercept
2 of 2 noun
Legal Definition
intercept
transitive verbU.S. Code
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