Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1400-1500
Origin: Anglo-French interesse, from Latin interesse 'to be between, make a difference, concern', from esse 'to be'

interest

1 noun
     
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in‧terest1 S2 W1
1 [singular, uncountable] if you have an interest in something or someone, you want to know or learn more about themCOLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
have an interest in something show interest (in something) express (an) interest (in something) (=say that you are interested in something or want to buy it) take an interest (in something) (=be interested in something) have no interest in something lose interest (in something) (=stop being interested) arouse/generate/attract interest (=make people interested) pique somebody's interest American English (=make someone interested) great/keen interest abiding interest (=an interest you have had for a long time) lack of interest with interest
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) BFL 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) BFL 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 somebody's interests
The regulations were introduced in order to safeguard the interests of local fishing communities.
be in somebody'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 somebody'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]BBC 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]B 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 conflict1 (6), self-interest

; ➔ vested interest

at vested (1)
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
 
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