What does interview mean?
An interview is a structured conversation in which one person asks questions and another responds. It may serve several purposes: assessing a candidate for employment, gathering someone's opinions or experience for journalism, or providing material for a broadcast or publication. The word can also name the act of carrying out such questioning, as in “an interview with the mayor” or “to interview an applicant.” In professional and everyday English, the term generally implies preparation, a recognizable format, and a question-and-answer exchange rather than an unplanned chat. It can be formal and consequential, especially in employment, or relatively brief and public-facing in journalism and broadcasting. As a verb, “interview” describes the action of questioning someone directly. Its long history connects it to the idea of meeting and seeing one another, while its modern meanings reflect its continuing role in selection, reporting, and communication.
A formal or semi-formal conversation in which questions are asked to obtain information, assess someone's suitability, or produce material for publication or broadcast.
"The newspaper published an interview with the winning candidate."
The count noun “interview” can refer to a single event or to the conversation itself.
To ask questions of someone, especially in order to assess their suitability for a role or to obtain their views for publication or broadcast.
"The reporter interviewed the scientist about the new discovery."
This use is transitive and commonly takes a person as its object.
A countable noun: use “an interview” for one event and “interviews” for multiple events.
"She had two interviews scheduled for the same afternoon."
The word literally combines the ideas of being “between” and “seeing,” reflecting its original sense of meeting face to face.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does interview come from?
English borrowed the word in the late fifteenth century from Old French entrevue, a term associated with a meeting or encounter. Its components trace to Latin inter, meaning “between” or “among,” and videre, meaning “to see.” The word originally referred to a meeting or visit, while its later sense of a formal question-and-answer conversation developed through its use in employment and other institutional settings.
Related word forms
How interview is actually used
The noun can refer to the event as a whole or to the encounter itself. The verb is usually transitive, with the person being questioned as its object; in some contexts, especially employment and media, the word is neutral and professional, although “interrogate” can suggest a more forceful questioning.