interstate

1 of 2

adjective

in·​ter·​state ˌin-tər-ˈstāt 

: of, connecting, or existing between two or more states especially of the U.S.

interstate commerce

interstate

2 of 2

noun

in·​ter·​state ˈin-tər-ˌstāt 

: any of a system of expressways connecting most major U.S. cities

called also interstate highway

Examples of interstate in a Sentence

Noun

You'll get there quicker if you take the interstate.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

While Illinois is the outlier flat tax state among the top five population losers last year, South Carolina is the lone state with a progressive income tax among the five states that gained the most population through interstate migration in 2024. —Patrick Gleason, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025

Jose Rodolfo Villarreal-Hernandez was in late 2022 or early 2023 arrested in Mexico on a conspiracy to commit murder for hire and interstate stalking indictment filed in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas. —Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Feb. 2025

Noun

A number of crashes have occurred on interstates, according to a tracker on Nashville.gov. —Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2025

Federal investigators are probing a deadly pileup inside a Wyoming interstate tunnel that will shut down part of a core coast-to-coast roadway for days, officials said Saturday. —Erick Mendoza, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1844, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1968, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for interstate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

interstate

1 of 2 adjective

in·​ter·​state ˌint-ər-ˈstāt 

: of, connecting, or existing between states especially of the U.S.

interstate highways

interstate

2 of 2 noun

in·​ter·​state ˈint-ər-ˌstāt 

: an interstate highway