# interest

Pronunciation: US say "IN-truhst" /ˈɪnt(ə)ɹəst/; UK say "IN-trest" /ˈɪntɹɛst/

## Noun

1. Attention to and curiosity about someone or something, often with a wish to know more; also such attention received from others.
   - Simple: The feeling of wanting to know more about something, or the attention people give it.
   - _Her interest in marine biology led her to volunteer at the aquarium._
   - _The lecture sparked a lasting interest in ancient history among the students._
3. The quality of exciting concern or being of importance; the state of mattering to people.
   - Simple: The quality of being important or worth caring about.
   - _The findings are of considerable interest to historians._
   - _Few details in the report were of any interest to the general reader._
4. A hobby, subject, or person that attracts and holds someone's attention or affection.
   - Simple: A thing or person that you like and want to pay attention to.
   - _Among his many interests, chess held a special place._
   - _She introduced her new romantic interest to her parents._
5. The charge paid for borrowing money, or the return earned for lending it, set as a fraction of the amount involved.
   - Simple: Extra money you pay back when you borrow, or earn when you save.
   - _The bank lowered the interest on home loans last month._
   - _Savers earn interest on the money they keep in the account._
6. A legal or financial stake, claim, or share that someone holds in a business, property, or other undertaking.
   - Simple: A share or part that you own in a business, project, or property.
   - _The two partners hold equal interests in the firm._
   - _She acquired a controlling interest in the publishing house._
7. The persons and companies involved in a particular business or cause, considered together as a group.
   - Simple: A group of people or companies that share the same business goal.
   - _The oil interest lobbied hard against the regulation._
   - _Competing interests clashed over the proposed reform._
9. Any amount given or returned over and above an exact equivalent.
   - Simple: Extra given back beyond what was first owed or expected.
   - _They repaid the insult with interest._
   - _She returned his kindness with interest, inviting him to dinner twice._
8. The advantage or well-being of a person or group; whatever works to their benefit, often used in the plural.
   - Simple: What is good for a person or group and helps them.
   - _The judge ruled that staying with her grandmother was in the girl's best interests._
   - _Newspapers argued that releasing the report was in the national interest._

## Verb

2. To capture someone's attention or curiosity; to make a person care about a subject or thing.
   - Simple: To make someone want to pay attention to or learn more about something.
   - _The documentary interested viewers who normally avoid science programs._
   - _Can I interest you in a cup of coffee?_

## Verb

10. To concern, affect, or involve someone or something; to have a bearing upon a person or matter. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To affect or have something to do with a person or matter.
11. To cause or allow someone to share in something; to give a person a part or stake in it. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To give someone a share or part in something.

## Noun

12. Injury or harm, or the compensation paid for it; damages. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Harm done to someone, or money paid to make up for that harm.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A genre of factual short film, usually more amusing than informative, used for pieces that fit no more specific category.

## Origin

Latin interesse passed into Medieval Latin as interesse, then into Old French as interesse and interest (intérêt in modern French), and from there into Middle English as interest.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/interest (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).