Interest (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

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noun
  1. the feeling of a person whose attention, concern, or curiosity is particularly engaged by something: She has a great interest in the poetry of Donne.
  2. something that concerns, involves, draws the attention of, or arouses the curiosity of a person: His interests are philosophy and chess.
  3. power of exciting such concern, involvement, etc.; quality of being interesting: political issues of great interest.
  4. concern; importance: a matter of primary interest.
  5. a business, cause, or the like in which a person has a share, concern, responsibility, etc.
  6. a share, right, or title in the ownership of property, in a commercial or financial undertaking, or the like: He bought half an interest in the store.
  7. a participation in or concern for a cause, advantage, responsibility, etc.
  8. a number or group of persons, or a party, financially interested in the same business, industry, or enterprise: the banking interest.
  9. the group of persons or organizations having extensive financial or business power.
  10. the state of being affected by something in respect to advantage or detriment: We need an arbiter who is without interest in the outcome.
  11. benefit; advantage: to have one's own interest in mind.
  12. regard for one's own advantage or profit; self-interest: The partnership dissolved because of their conflicting interests.
  13. influence from personal importance or capability; power of influencing the action of others.
  14. Finance.
    • a sum paid or charged for the use of money or for borrowing money: If I won the lottery, I would invest the money, quit working and live off the interest.
    • interest rate (def. 1).
  15. something added or thrown in above an exact equivalent: Jones paid him back with a left hook and added a right uppercut for interest.
verb (used with object)
  1. to engage or excite the attention or curiosity of: Mystery stories interested him greatly.
  2. to concern (a person, nation, etc.) in something; involve: The fight for peace interests all nations.
  3. to cause to take a personal concern or share; induce to participate: to interest a person in an enterprise.
  4. to cause to be concerned; affect.
Idioms
  1. to the advantage or advancement of; in behalf of: in the interests of good government.
noun
  1. the sense of curiosity about or concern with something or someone
  2. the power of stimulating such a sense
  3. the quality of such stimulation
  4. something in which one is interested; a hobby or pursuit
  5. benefit; advantage
  6. (often plural)
    • a right, share, or claim, esp in a business or property
    • the business, property, etc, in which a person has such concern
    • a charge for the use of credit or borrowed money
    • such a charge expressed as a percentage per time unit of the sum borrowed or used
  8. a section of a community, etc, whose members have common aims
  9. to make known one's connection, esp a prejudicial connection, with an affair
verb (tr)
  1. to arouse or excite the curiosity or concern of
  2. to cause to become involved in something; concern
Interest (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

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