intercettare

Definition & meaning

Intercettare means to intercept: to stop, catch, or detect something before it reaches its destination.

It can refer to:

• Stopping a person or vehicle in transit.
• Intercepting communications, such as phone calls or messages, often as part of an investigation.
• Catching or taking possession of a ball or pass in sport.
• Detecting or reaching a person, audience, or emerging trend.

Grammar & Word origin

Intercettare is a regular first-conjugation verb ending in -are. It is usually transitive, meaning it takes a direct object.

It comes from Latin interceptare, related to intercipere, “to seize or catch between,” from inter- (“between”) and capere (“to take”).

Synonyms & antonyms

• Synonyms:
  • fermare ↗ — “to stop”; broader and does not necessarily imply interception.
  • captare ↗ — “to pick up” or “detect,” especially signals or information.
  • bloccare ↗ — “to block”; emphasizes preventing movement or progress.
• Antonym:
  • lasciare passare ↗ — “to let through,” the opposite of stopping someone or something in transit.

Common phrases & collocations

• intercettare una telefonata ↗ — to intercept a phone call.
• intercettare un messaggio ↗ — to intercept a message.
• intercettare un passaggio ↗ — to intercept a pass in sport.
• intercettare un veicolo ↗ — to intercept a vehicle.