Definition of "intercept" in English

verb

1. (transitive) To stop, deflect or divert (something in progress or motion).

   • The police intercepted the package of stolen goods while it was in transit.

2. (transitive, sports) To gain possession of (the ball) in a ball game.

3. (transitive, mathematics) To take or comprehend between.

4. To perform an aeronautical action in which a fighter approaches a suspicious aircraft to escort it away from a prohibited area, or approaches an enemy aircraft to shoot it down.

noun

1. An interception of a radio broadcast or a telephone call.

2. An interception of a missile.

3. (algebraic geometry) The coordinate of the point at which a curve intersects an axis.

   • the y intercept

4. (marketing) A form of market research where consumers are intercepted and interviewed in a retail store or mall.