# interact

/ˌɪnɝˈækt/ (US) · /ˌɪntəɹˈækt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/interact
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. social communication

verb · CEFR B2

to talk to other people and work together with them.

For teachers: to communicate with or react to others in a social or professional context.

- The teacher encouraged the students to interact with each other during the group project.
- The conference provides a valuable opportunity for junior researchers to interact with established experts in their field.

Usage: Often used with the preposition 'with'.

### 2. physical/chemical effect

verb · CEFR B2 · Academic

when two things have an effect on each other.

For teachers: to act upon one another so as to produce a reciprocal effect.

- You should check if these two cleaning chemicals interact in a dangerous way.
- The study examines how different atmospheric pollutants interact to accelerate the degradation of urban monuments.

Usage: The verb is intransitive and typically takes the preposition 'with'.

### 3. theatrical break

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic

a short performance or break between the main parts of a play.

For teachers: a short act or musical piece performed between the main acts of a play.

- The audience enjoyed a brief musical interact before the final scene of the drama.
- The director inserted a stylized interact to allow for a complex costume change between the second and third acts.

Teaching tip: This noun sense is very rare in modern English; students will almost always encounter 'interact' as a verb.

## Examples

- The teacher encourages the students to interact with each other.
- The new software allows different departments to interact more efficiently through a shared database.
- Sociologists study how individuals interact within urban environments to understand the formation of community bonds and the mitigation of social isolation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.