I. in ‧ terest 1 S2 W1 /ˈɪntrəst, ˈɪntrɪst/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ interestingly , ↑ disinterestedly ; adjective : ↑ interested ≠ ↑ disinterested ≠ ↑ uninterested , ↑ interesting ≠ UNINTERESTING ; verb : ↑ interest ; noun : ↑ interest ≠ ↑ disinterest ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: Anglo-French interesse , from Latin interesse 'to be between, make a difference, concern' , from esse 'to be' ]
1 . [singular, uncountable] if you have an interest in something or someone, you want to know or learn more about them
interest in
My parents encouraged my interest in science.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in jazz.
Ben has shown an interest in learning French.
My mother had never expressed any interest in the garden.
Babies soon begin to take an interest in the world around them.
John appeared to have no interest in girls.
I watched the first few episodes, but soon lost interest.
The last round of bidding aroused considerable interest.
Our survey reveals a disturbing lack of interest in teacher training.
I read your article with great interest.
2 . [countable usually plural] an activity that you enjoy doing or a subject that you enjoy studying:
His interests include walking and golf.
As a biologist, my main interest has been human genetics.
Her outside interests (=interests that are not part of her work) were numerous.
3 . [uncountable] a quality or feature of something that attracts your attention or makes you want to know more about it:
A Persian rug will add colour and interest to your hallway.
be of (no) interest (to somebody) (=be interesting or not interesting to someone)
It’s a book that will be of interest to a wide range of readers.
What you do in your private life is of no interest to me.
art galleries, museums and other places of interest
topics of general interest (=that everyone wants to know about)
4 . [uncountable]
a) the extra money that you must pay back when you borrow money
interest on
The interest on the loan is 16% per year.
How much are the monthly interest payments?
b) money paid to you by a bank or financial institution when you keep money in an account there:
an account that pays higher interest
The more you save, the more interest you’ll earn.
⇨ ↑ compound interest , ↑ interest rate , ↑ simple interest
5 . [countable usually plural, uncountable] the things that bring advantages to someone or something
protect/look after/safeguard sb’s interests
The regulations were introduced in order to safeguard the interests of local fishing communities.
be in sb’s (best) interest(s) (to do something) (=be the best thing for someone)
The court decided that it was in the girl’s best interests to remain with her grandparents.
have sb’s (best) interests at heart (=care about someone and want to do what is best for them)
He has your best interests at heart, you know.
We’ve got to balance economic interests and environmental interests.
6 . be in the national/public interest to be good or necessary for the safety or success of a country and its people:
I believe it is in the public interest that these facts are made known.
7 . in the interest(s) of justice/safety/efficiency etc in order to make a situation or system fair, safe etc:
The race was postponed in the interests of safety.
8 . (just) out of interest/as a matter of interest spoken used to say that you are asking a question only because you are interested and not because you need to know:
Just out of interest, how much did they offer you?
9 . [countable] if you have an interest in a particular company or industry, you own shares in it:
The company is believed to be keen to sell its extensive brewing interests.
His business interests are spread throughout Europe.
controlling interest (=enough shares to control what decisions are taken)
In 1986 GM acquired a controlling interest in the sports car maker Lotus.
10 . [countable usually plural] a group of people in the same business who share aims or ideas:
Farming interests now dominate many of the National Park committees.
The majority of Brazil’s huge commercial interests support the measure.
the need to reduce the influence of special interests (=groups who are concerned about particular subjects)
11 . have no interest in doing something to not want to do something:
I have no interest in continuing this conversation.
12 . declare an interest (in something) to officially state that you are connected with something or someone, and so cannot be completely fair and independent when making a decision involving them
13 . human interest/love interest the part of a story, film, or event which is interesting because it shows things about people’s lives or romantic relationships:
As a trainee reporter, she spent most of her time on human interest stories.
⇨ conflict of interest at ↑ conflict 1 (6), ⇨ ↑ self-interest , ⇨ vested interest at ↑ vested (1)
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have an interest in something
Steve has a keen interest in bird-watching.
▪ show interest in something
He had shown great interest in her work.
▪ express an interest in something (=say that you are interested in something)
A number of well-known film directors have expressed interest in the script.
▪ take an interest in something (=be interested in something)
Jacky first took an interest in golf when he was about six years old.
▪ have no interest in something
Andy had no interest in politics.
▪ lose interest in something (=stop being interested)
Tilda had lost interest in what was being said.
▪ arouse/generate/attract interest (=make people interested)
This extraordinary story has aroused interest in many quarters.
▪ feign interest (=pretend to be interested)
Ted scanned the report, feigning interest.
▪ interest grows
Interest in the project has steadily grown.
▪ interest wanes (=becomes less)
When his initial interest waned, the teacher paid more attention to him.
■ adjectives
▪ great interest
The government has shown great interest in the idea.
▪ enormous/intense interest (=very great)
This tournament has created enormous interest.
▪ considerable/strong/keen interest
The results of their work will be of considerable interest.
▪ special/particular interest
Natural history was a special interest of his.
▪ a personal interest in something
He took a personal interest in the lives of his workers.
▪ renewed interest (=starting again after it had stopped)
There has been a renewed interest in abstract painting in recent years.
▪ a consuming interest (=a very strong feeling of interest)
Roland had a consuming interest in cricket.
▪ a long-term/abiding interest (=an interest you have had for a long time)
She has had a long-term interest in antiques.
■ phrases
▪ a lot of interest
There has been a lot of interest in the story.
▪ a great deal of interest (=a lot of interest)
The exhibition has generated a great deal of interest.
▪ a lack of interest
The show was cancelled due to a lack of interest on the part of the public.
II. interest 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ interestingly , ↑ disinterestedly ; adjective : ↑ interested ≠ ↑ disinterested ≠ ↑ uninterested , ↑ interesting ≠ UNINTERESTING ; verb : ↑ interest ; noun : ↑ interest ≠ ↑ disinterest ]
1 . to make someone want to pay attention to something and find out more about it:
Here’s an article which might interest you.
What interests me is all the history of these places.
It may interest you to know that a number of scholarships are available.
2 . interest yourself in something formal to give something a lot of attention because you want to find out more about it:
He had always interested himself in foreign affairs.
3 . to try to persuade someone to buy, do, or eat something
interest somebody in something
The salesman tried to interest me in the higher-priced model.
Could I interest you in a drink/dessert etc? (=used as a polite way of offering someone a drink etc)
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ invest verb [intransitive and transitive] to buy shares or property, in order to make a profit:
Why don’t you invest the money on the stock market?
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He invested £50,000 in his brother’s business.
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Investing in property is probably not a good idea right now.
▪ put money into something to give money to a business, organization, activity etc, in order to help it develop and be successful:
We’re looking for an investor who will put money into our business.
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Every year the charity puts millions of dollars into research to find ways to treat cancer.
▪ back [transitive usually passive] to invest in a project or business, especially when the fact that you do this shows you support it:
The scheme has been backed by several major companies.
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The movie is backed by a powerful state-owned bank.
▪ interest noun [countable] if you have an interest in a particular company, you own shares in it:
In 1986 GM acquired a controlling interest (=enough shares to control what decisions are taken) in the sports car maker Lotus.
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He has business interests throughout Europe.