interest (interests plural & 3rd person present) (interesting present participle) (interested past tense & past participle )
1 n-uncount If you have an interestin something, you want to learn or hear more about it.
also a N
There has been a lively interest in the elections in the last two weeks..., His parents tried to discourage his interest in music, but he persisted..., Food was of no interest to her at all.
2 n-count Your interests are the things that you enjoy doing.
Encourage your child in her interests and hobbies even if they're things that you know little about...
3 verb If something interests you, it attracts your attention so that you want to learn or hear more about it or continue doing it.
That passage interested me because it seems to parallel very closely what you're doing in the novel... V n
It may interest you to know that Miss Woods, the housekeeper, witnessed the attack. it V n to-inf
4 verb If you are trying to persuade someone to buy or do something, you can say that you are trying to interest them in it.
In the meantime I can't interest you in a new car, I suppose?... V n in n/-ing
5 n-count If something is in the interests of a particular person or group, it will benefit them in some way.
usu pl, usu in N with poss
Did those directors act in the best interests of their club?...
6 n-count You can use interests to refer to groups of people who you think use their power or money to benefit themselves.
usu pl, supp N
The government accused unnamed `foreign interests' of inciting the trouble...
7 n-count A person or organization that has interests in a company or in a particular type of business owns shares in this company or this type of business. (BUSINESS) usu with supp
Disney will retain a 51 percent controlling interest in the venture.
8 n-count If a person, country, or organization has an interestin a possible event or situation, they want that event or situation to happen because they are likely to benefit from it.
usu N in n/-ing
The West has an interest in promoting democratic forces in Eastern Europe...
9 n-uncount Interest is extra money that you receive if you have invested a sum of money. Interest is also the extra money that you pay if you have borrowed money or are buying something on credit.
oft N n
Does your current account pay interest?...
10
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interested
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interesting
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compound interest
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self-interest
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vested interest
11 If you do something in the interests of a particular result or situation, you do it in order to achieve that result or maintain that situation.
in the interests of/in the interest of phrase N inflects, PHR n ...a call for all businessmen to work together in the interests of national stability. →
to have someone's interests at heart →
heart
compound interest
Compound interest is interest that is calculated both on an original sum of money and on interest which has previously been added to the sum. Compare simple interest. (BUSINESS) n-uncount
human interest
If something such as a news story has human interest, people are likely to find it interesting because it gives interesting details about the person or people involved. n-uncount oft N n
...a human interest story.
interest-free
An interest-free loan has no interest charged on it. adj usu ADJ n
He was offered a £10,000 interest-free loan...
Interest-free is also an adverb., adv ADV after v
Customers allowed the banks to use their money interest-free.
interest rate (interest rates plural )The interest rate is the amount of interest that must be paid. It is expressed as a percentage of the amount that is borrowed or gained as profit. n-count
The Finance Minister has renewed his call for lower interest rates.
self-interest
If you accuse someone of self-interest, you disapprove of them because they always want to do what is best for themselves rather than for anyone else. n-uncount
(disapproval)
Their current protests are motivated purely by self-interest.
simple interest
Simple interest is interest that is calculated on an original sum of money and not also on interest which has previously been added to the sum. Compare compound interest. (BUSINESS) n-uncount
(Antonym: compound interest)
vested interest (vested interests plural )If you have a vested interestin something, you have a very strong reason for acting in a particular way, for example to protect your money, power, or reputation. n-var usu N in n/-ing
The administration has no vested interest in proving whether public schools were good or bad.
