Noun

The act of interfering with something, or something that interferes.

(sports) The illegal obstruction of an opponent in some ball games.

They were glued to the TV, as the referee called out a fifteen yard penalty for interference .

(physics) An effect caused by the superposition of two systems of waves, such as a distortion on a broadcast signal due to atmospheric or other effects.

They wanted to watch the game on TV, but there was too much interference to even make out the score on the tiny screen.

(US, legal) In United States patent law, an inter partes proceeding to determine the priority issues of multiple patent applications; a priority contest.

(chess) The interruption of the line between an attacked piece and its defender by sacrificially interposing a piece.

Noun

(en noun)

The act of disturbing, being disturbed.

Something that disturbs.

That guy causes a lot of trouble, you know, he's such a disturbance .

An interruption of that which is normal or regular.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2012-01

, author=Donald Worster , title=A Drier and Hotter Future , volume=100, issue=1, page=70 , magazine= citation , passage=Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force.}}

(psychology) A serious mental imbalance or illness.