interstate

adj, adv, noun — 3 senses

interstate

adj

US /ˈɪntɚˌsteɪt/

Etymology From inter- + state, originally as an adjective only; the noun is by (ellipsis) from interstate highway. The noun also serves adjectivally as a (noun adjunct) in such collocations as interstate construction and interstate rest stops.

1

Australia, US Of, or relating to two or more states.

  • interstate commerce
  • interstate reciprocity
2 more examples
  • The difference between intrastate and interstate prison transfers, Justice Blackmun said, "is a matter of degree, not of kind," while confinement in a mental hospital is qualitatively different than an ordinary prison sentence.1983 April 27, “STATES CAN TRANSFER PRISONERS TO OTHER STATES, COURT HOLDS”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2022:
  • Jordan Gee, 37, of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, was charged with three felony counts of threats against the president and one count of interstate threats, according to the Justice Department.2024 May 16, Casey Gannon, “Pennsylvania man charged with threatening Biden in online video”, in CNN, archived from the original on 23 May 2025:
Derived terms
interstate compact

interstate

adv

Etymology From inter- + state, originally as an adjective only; the noun is by (ellipsis) from interstate highway. The noun also serves adjectivally as a (noun adjunct) in such collocations as interstate construction and interstate rest stops.

1

Australia, US Crossing states (usually provincial state, but also e.g. multinational sense).

  • The truck driver drove interstate to unload.
Related terms
Pan-American, pan-Indian, trans-Siberian

interstate

noun

Etymology From inter- + state, originally as an adjective only; the noun is by (ellipsis) from interstate highway. The noun also serves adjectivally as a (noun adjunct) in such collocations as interstate construction and interstate rest stops.

1

US A freeway that is part of the Interstate Highway System.

  • The speed-limit increase would not apply to Delaware, where the interstates are all near populated areas.1987 March 19, Bernard Weinraub, “HOUSE BACKS A SPEED LIMIT OF 65 FOR RURAL INTERSTATES”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 19 Dec 2024:
  • There was no reason to pull off the interstate and drive twenty miles down a bumpy local road, just to stay in a dilapidated no-tell motel.2013, Robin Wasserman, Seven Deadly Sins, volume 1: Lust; Envy, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 120:
1 more example
  • On March 11, 2021, Deputy Andrew Hall with the Danville Police Department responded to an overpass where Wilson was reportedly throwing rocks onto the interstate, according to a Law Enforcement Involved Fatal Incident report released Friday.2022 October 30, Alaa Elassar, Rebekah Riess, Joe Sutton, “Former California police officer involved in the fatal shooting of Tyrell Wilson won’t be charged”, in CNN, archived from the original on 12 Nov 2022:
Derived terms
interstater

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.