Interact

/ˌɪntərˈækt/

verbBeginner🔥Very CommonGeneral
1 meaning1 idiom/phrase2 questions

Definitions

1

To communicate or work together; to have an effect on each other.

/ˌɪntərˈækt/

verbneutralBeginner
General

To act in such a way as to have an effect on another; to communicate or be involved with each other.

The students interacted well during the group project.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're playing a game with your friends. When you talk, share the rules, and take turns, you're *interacting* with each other. It's like your actions are affecting the others, and theirs are affecting you.

👶 For kids: When things or people interact, it's like they're playing together or talking to each other. They do things that affect each other!

More Examples

2

The app allows users to interact with the content.

3

The two companies interacted to form a partnership.

4

The cat and dog like to interact by playing fetch together.

How It's Used

Social

"People interact with each other at a party."

Technology

"Users can interact with a website by clicking buttons and filling out forms."

Science

"The two chemicals interact to produce a reaction."

Idioms & expressions

interact with

To communicate or be involved with someone or something.

"I often interact with my online friends."

From Latin inter- ('between') and agere ('to do, act'). The word entered English in the 17th century, initially with a scientific and philosophical context.

Initially used in scientific and philosophical contexts to describe the mutual action of entities, the word's usage expanded to encompass social interactions in the 20th century.

Memory tip

Think of INTER- as 'between' and ACT as 'do'. If two things INTERACT, they 'do things between' each other.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"to act between or among"

interact withinteract directlyinteract sociallyinteract effectively

Common misspellings

interractintract

Usage

70%Spoken
30%Written