interest · n
interest (MONEY CHARGED)
C1 money which is charged by a bank or other financial organization for borrowing money
Dictionary examples:
Interest charges on credit cards are can be very high. (24.5)
interest (MONEY EARNED)
C1 money that you earn from keeping your money in an account in a bank or other financial organization
Dictionary examples:
You should put the money in a savings account where it will earn interest. (45.9)
in the interest of sth
C2 in order to achieve a particular situation or quality
Dictionary examples:
In the interest of safety, passengers are advised to wear their seat belts at all times. (47.9)
interest (ADVANTAGE)
C2 something that gives someone or something an advantage
Dictionary examples:
A union looks after the interests of its members. (25.0)
be in sb's interest
C1 to help someone and give them an advantage
Dictionary examples:
It may not be in your interest to change jobs so soon. (18.4)
a conflict of interest
C2 a situation where someone cannot make fair decisions because they are influenced by something
Dictionary examples:
She resigned from the committee because of a conflict of interest. (40.0)
interest (ACTIVITY/SUBJECT)
B1 something that you enjoy doing, studying or experiencing
Dictionary examples:
My grandma's new interest is breakdancing. She's surprisingly good at it! (0.0)
My cat's main interest is knocking things off tables and looking innocent. (0.0)
Her interest in competitive sleeping made her the laziest champion ever. (0.0)
On his form he lists his interests as cycling, the cinema and cooking. (43.3)
interest (QUALITY)
B1 the quality that makes you think that something is interesting
Dictionary examples:
The class showed sudden interest when the teacher mentioned a surprise test. (0.0)
The teenager's interest in cleaning their room mysteriously vanished after allowance day. (0.0)
The teacher's interest in my excuse for missing homework was uncomfortably high. (0.0)
Nothing much of interest was discussed. (17.8)
Would this book be of any interest to you? (23.6)
interest (FEELING)
B1 the feeling of wanting to give your attention to something or of wanting to discover more about it
Dictionary examples:
My dog's interest in my homework wasn't as helpful as I'd hoped. (0.0)
His sudden interest in cleaning appeared just before his mom visited. (0.0)
My interest in becoming a chef grew with every pizza delivery. (0.0)
He didn't show any interest in his dinner. (17.2)
She takes more of an interest in politics these days. (22.6)
I lost interest halfway through the movie. (50.7)
I've always had an interest in astronomy. (51.5)