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Prepositions after verbs

Interfere with or interfere in?

Interfere with usually means obstruct or affect something. Interfere in means become involved in a situation or activity.

Quick answer

What is the difference?

Use interfere with when something disrupts or affects another thing. Use interfere in when becoming involved in affairs or situations, especially where involvement may be unwelcome.

Noise can interfere with sleep.
The government refused to interfere in the dispute.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
interfere with + activity/object

Causing disruption

Use interfere with when something negatively affects a process, activity, or result.

The storm interfered with flights yesterday.
2
interfere in + situation/affairs

Becoming involved

Use interfere in for involvement in matters that may not concern you.

She avoids interfering in family arguments.
3
interfere with + person

Handling or touching improperly

Interfere with can also mean tamper with or disturb someone or something.

Do not interfere with the equipment.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
interfere with
Stress interferes with concentration.
disrupt or affect negatively
interfere in
They interfered in local politics.
become involved in matters
interfere on
Interfere on is not a standard pattern.
use interfere with or interfere in instead
interfere between
The teacher interfered between the two students.
rare and context-specific; intervene between is more natural

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using interfere in for disruption

Use interfere with for negative effects on activities or processes.

✕ The noise interfered in my work. ✓ The noise interfered with my work.

Using interfere with for involvement in affairs

Use interfere in when talking about involvement in situations or politics.

✕ They interfered with national politics. ✓ They interfered in national politics.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. Heavy traffic interfered ___ our plans.
2. The minister refused to interfere ___ the investigation.
3. Please do not interfere ___ the controls.

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Frequently asked questions

Is interfere with always negative?

Usually yes. It often suggests disruption or unwanted involvement.

Can interfere in be positive?

Sometimes. It can describe intervention to help resolve a problem.

What is the difference between interfere and intervene?

Intervene is often more neutral or positive, while interfere frequently suggests unwanted involvement.

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