Word family noun interest ≠ disinterest adjective interested ≠ disinterested ≠ uninterested interesting ≠ uninteresting verb interest adverb interestingly disinterestedly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishinterestin‧terest1 /ˈɪntrɪst/ ●●● S2 W1 noun 1 [singular, uncountable]INTERESTED if you have an interest in something or someone, you want to know or learn more about theminterest 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]INTERESTED 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]INTERESTED 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) BFLthe extra money that you must pay back when you borrow moneyinterest on The interest on the loan is 16% per year. How much are the monthly interest payments? b) BFLmoney 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 interest5 [countable usually plural, uncountable]ADVANTAGEOWN the things that bring advantages to someone or somethingprotect/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 interest7 → in the interest(s) of justice/safety/efficiency etc8 → (just) out of interest/as a matter of interest9 [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]BGROUP OF PEOPLE 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 something12 → declare an interest (in something)13 → human interest/love interest → self-interest, → conflict of interest at conflict1(6), → vested interest at vested(1)COLLOCATIONSverbshave an interest in somethingSteve has a keen interest in bird-watching.show interest in somethingHe 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 somethingAndy 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 growsInterest in the project has steadily grown.interest wanes (=becomes less)When his initial interest waned, the teacher paid more attention to him.adjectivesgreat interestThe government has shown great interest in the idea.enormous/intense interest (=very great)This tournament has created enormous interest.considerable/strong/keen interestThe results of their work will be of considerable interest.special/particular interestNatural history was a special interest of his.a personal interest in somethingHe 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.phrasesa lot of interestThere 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 interestThe show was cancelled due to a lack of interest on the part of the public. Examples from the Corpus
interest• Josie isn't really an archaeologist, it's just an interest of hers.• Although the government has made some shares in National Oil Products available, it intends to maintain its controlling interest.• Agricultural and environmental interests have both been influential in water policy.• The bank has interests in several companies, including a 15% share of Morgan's Brewery.• Her interests were the same as most young girls -- pop music, boys and clothes.• a high interest savings account• Golf is also one of his interests.• In retirement, Nelson added personal computing to his interests.• He is expected to concentrate on developing his hotel interests.• John had put his grandfather's money in the bank, and was getting $400 a month in interest.• She got about two hundred thousand and a life interest in another two hundred thou.• Credit companies charge huge amounts of interest.• The best rate of interest the banks can offer is around 14 per cent.• Altering banks' liquidity or the rate of interest are indirect methods of controlling spending.• They will be able to marry the two sets of interests to the benefit of the Province.• They took a cool professional interest which matched the matter of fact way they were dealing with the crisis of our disintegrating home.• The President should be doing more to advance U.S. interests abroad.• If you had half a million dollars you could easily live off the interest.• What's the interest on the loan?with ... interest• With interest, as I've already suggested.• He is a distinguished astrophysicist with a lifelong interest in space.• The certificates are, of course, quoted daily with accrued interest.• The research will involve analysis of legal documentation, synthesis of existing research and interviews with representatives of interest groups.• There have been many with consuming interest for golf who never developed an intrigue for putting.• The hospital has four consultant physicians, one with a special interest in gastroenterology.• He fed the crystal into a reader and watched with interest as the file scrolled up.outside interests• Others found that the sheer workload of the course left them unable to develop outside interests, such as reading or the theatre.• Now Martin is looking forward to spending his retirement enjoying outside interests which will include travelling, walking and watching cricket.• His outside interests were numerous and varied.• One sees again and again that such people grow in outside interests.• Making a mental note not to let outside interests interfere with her work, she began to inject the puppies.• Ms. Walters has many outside interests.• Some of his many outside interests include reading, theatre and debating.• He has got to ask how things are going at home or about my outside interests.• This would force campaigns to pay less attention to outside interests and more to the people at home.of general interest• Each one of perhaps a group of four should prepare a brief summary of an article of general interest.• Cuttings of general interest can be stored under different categories in box files.• As a foreigner and a teacher, I was the object of general interest and respect.• A few points of general interest might usefully be restated here.• Questions of general interest can be sent to him at the newspaper.• Two results of general interest emerge from this preliminary analysis.interest ... earn• As the dividends are paid they can be reinvested, and hence interest can be earned.• At the same time, the government lost millions in interest not earned while taxes, fees, and fines went uncollected.• All your accounts remain separate, but the amount of interest you earn is based on the family's total.• In between, you might receive a check twice annually for the interest earned on that bond.• The manager executes the deals for a small annual fee - usually 0.5 percent deducted from the interest earned.• They are a gamble and your stake is the interest you would earn on the cash.• It follows that the defendant will be entitled to the interest it has earned on deposit up to the point of acceptance.• This total is then divided by interest expense to obtain the times interest earned ratio.have somebody’s (best) interests at heart• With mutations around, the cells within a plant of splurge-weed will not have all the same genetic interests at heart.• They have your best interests at heart...controlling interest• Late in 1886, the Charles Harrahs, father and son, bought a controlling interest.• All of these are projects in which the government holds a controlling interest and in which it has a strong commercial partner.• Not a controlling interest, then, but a powerful one.• That will be harder to bear if there is little hope of a controlling interest in the near future.• Mr Morgado said that the group would seek a controlling interest in companies and that it would play an operating role.• Host Marriott Corp. said it will pay $ 112. 5 million to acquire controlling interest in five hotels.• The government sold its controlling interest in the national phone company.• This in turn will further aid the process of controlling interest rates.• Carl Zeiss has a 51 percent controlling interest in the new company.special interests• Schools must design their own local units to take account of local circumstances and special interests.• The influence of pressure groups and special interests will become pervasive.• They see Congress as controlled by special interests and having little concern for average people.• Other options are fraught with more complications because of the possibility of contributions from special interests.• But even if it is, the incident raises concerns about the influence of special interests.• A must for anyone concerned with advertising to businesses, government, associations and consumer groups with special interests.• Phillip Hodson is a psychotherapist with special interests in children's problems.interestinterest2 ●●● W2 verb [transitive] 1 INTERESTEDto 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 interests somebody that/how/to do It may interest you to know that a number of scholarships are available.2 → interest yourself in something3 OFFERto try to persuade someone to buy, do, or eat somethinginterest 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)→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
interest• The infant tries to reproduce events that interest him or her.• What interests me most is where he got all that money in the first place.• The book doesn't really interest me that much.• It's always best to choose the subject that interests you, not the one your parents want you to do.• There was an article in yesterday's paper that might interest you.What interests ... is• What interests me is that you have no pity for men whose bodies have been mutilated.• What interests me is the psychology -- or pathology -- of women, what women will do in the name of love.• What interests me is the singularly local nature of some phenomena.• What interests me is what discussions such as these reveal about the relationship between television and the Press.From Longman Business Dictionaryinterestin‧terest /ˈɪntrɪst/ noun1[uncountable]FINANCE an amount paid by a borrower to a lender, for example to a bank by someone borrowing money for a loan or by a bank to a DEPOSITOR (=someone keeping money in an account there)Any spare cash is best put in a savings account where it will earn interest.US savings bonds will pay interest at 7.01% from May 1 through Oct. 31.interest ona period during which you only pay interest on the loan and make no capital repaymentsSome credit cards don’t charge interest on unpaid balances.2[countable]FINANCE shares that you own in a company, or a part of a company that a person or organization ownsSYNHOLDING, STAKEinterest inHighlands Gold Ltd holds a 30% interest in the mine.He acquired interests in a number of publishing companies.3vested interest disapproving a group of people with strong reasons for wanting something to happen because they will gain an advantage from itHe is determined to preventpowerful vested interests from blocking the reform.4[countable]LAW the possession of rights, especially to land, property etcThe husband can release his interest in the legal estate to his wife. → beneficial interest → see also conflict of interest, open interest, short interestOrigin interest1 (1400-1500) Anglo-French interesse, from Latin interesse “to be between, make a difference, concern”, from esse “to be” 