interest
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
How often you will meet it
Rank 513 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 38,633 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.018% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
noun
- a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something also: involvement an interest in music
- a reason for wanting something done also: sake for your sakedied for the sake of his country
- the power of attracting or holding one's attention (because it is unusual or exciting etc.) also: interestingness they said nothing of great interestprimary colors can add interest to a room
- a fixed charge for borrowing money; usually a percentage of the amount borrowed how much interest do you pay on your mortgage?
- (law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something also: stake they have interests all over the worlda stake in the company's future
- (usually plural) a social group whose members control some field of activity and who have common aims also: interest group the iron interests stepped up production
verb
- excite the curiosity of; engage the interest of
interest in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
-
It was to his interest to dwarf the soul and preserve the body.
The Red Record Tabulated Statistics · Ida B. Wells-Barnett · Chapter 1
-
You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1
-
Leaving Joppa, the next point of interest to visit will be Alexandria, which will be reached in twenty-four hours.
The Innocents Abroad — Volume 01 · Mark Twain · Chapter 1
-
She forgot, in her interest over Jimmy, to remember that the bay window looked directly on to the village street.
The Palace Beautiful: A Story for Girls · L. T. Meade · Chapter 1
-
The intense interest aroused in the public by what was known at the time as “The Styles Case” has now somewhat subsided.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles · Agatha Christie · Chapter 1