overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

interest.

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.

8 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈɪn.tɹɛst/Received-Pronunciation/ˈɪn.t(ə.)ɹɪst/Received-Pronunciation/ˈɪn.tɹɛst/Canada, General-American/ˈɪn.tɚ.ɛst/Canada, General-American
  1. 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.

    uncountable · usually
    Our bank offers borrowers an annual interest of 5%.
  2. Any excess over and above an exact equivalent

    uncountable · usually
  3. A great attention and concern from someone or something; intellectual curiosity.

    uncountable · usually
    He has a lot of interest in vintage cars.
    I have a lot of interest in doing online coding.
  4. Attention that is given to or received from someone or something.

    uncountable · usually
  5. Advantage, welfare, or something that serves it.

    in-plural · often · uncountable · usually
  6. An involvement, claim, right, share, stake in or link with a financial, business, or other undertaking or endeavor.

    countable · usually
    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).
    I have business interests in South Africa.
  7. Something which, or someone whom, one is interested in.

    countable · usually
    Lexicography is one of my interests.
    Victorian furniture is an interest of mine.
  8. Condition or quality of exciting concern or being of importance.

    uncountable · usually
  9. Injury, or compensation for injury; damages.

    obsolete · rare · uncountable · usually
  10. The persons and companies interested in any particular business or measure, taken collectively.

    in-plural · often · uncountable · usually
    the iron interest;  the cotton interest
  11. A genre of factual short films, generally more amusing than informative, especially those not covered by a more specific genre label.

    attributive · historical · uncountable · usually
Where this word comes from

From Middle English interest, from Old French interesse and interest (French intérêt), from Medieval Latin interesse, from Latin interesse.

verb/ˈɪn.tɹɛst/Received-Pronunciation/ˈɪn.t(ə.)ɹɪst/Received-Pronunciation/ˈɪn.tɹɛst/Canada, General-American/ˈɪn.tɚ.ɛst/Canada, General-American
  1. 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.
    Action films don't really interest me.
  2. To be concerned with or engaged in; to affect; to concern; to excite.

    impersonal · obsolete · often
  3. To cause or permit to share.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

From Middle English interest, from Old French interesse and interest (French intérêt), from Medieval Latin interesse, from Latin interesse.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

interest has 8 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

interest studiointerest workshello, interest

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.