interceptor
nounEtymology From intercept + -or.
Anyone or anything that intercepts something else.
A combat aircraft designed to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft before they can attack.
A guided missile designed to intercept and destroy enemy missiles.
- “The AN-TPY/2 radar is essentially the heart of the THAAD battery, enabling the launch of interceptor missiles and contributing to a networked air defense picture,” he said. “It also happens to be an incredibly expensive piece of kit. The loss of even a single radar of this type would be an operationally significant event. It is probable that a replacement unit would have to be redeployed from elsewhere, which will take time and effort.”2026 March 5, Thomas Bordeaux, Gianluca Mezzofiore, “Radar bases housing key US missile interceptor hit in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, satellite images show”, in CNN, archived from the original on 08 Mar 2026:
Architecture, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A device to trap, remove, or separate hazardous or undesirable matter (such as oil or sand) from normal waste conveyed through it, permitting normal sewage or liquid wastes to discharge into the disposal terminal by gravity.
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Programming, Sciences A hook routine that intercepts normal program flow to carry out a task.
A sewer that intercepts sewerage destined for an outfall (e.g. into a river) and redirects it to a treatment plant.
- Related terms
- interception, uninterceptable, unintercepted