"interstate" means: Of, or relating to two or more states.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
interstate
(chiefly, US, and, Australia) Of, or relating to two or more states.
Seen in the wild
10 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
Yes, agreed. I also do think that to some extent it is to do with size. 26 makes it much trickier to just do things straightforwardly interstate than even 15 did
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet studies potential improvements to Interstate 24
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
A traffic stop on Interstate 95 by the Camden County Sheriff’s Office led to the arrest of a man who had an active murder warrant out of Washington, D.C.
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
NEW THIS MORNING | An early morning crash on Interstate 85 South has resulted in one fatality in Anderson County. https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/1-dead-in-i-85-crash-involving-18-wheeler-in-anderson-co/
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
He is charged with one count of interstate communication of a threat.
View source
Definitions
Australia
#1·Apr 27, 2026AUS
(chiefly, US, and, Australia) Of, or relating to two or more states.
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.
Origin: From , originally as an adjective only; the noun is by from interstate highway. The noun also serves adjectivally as a in such collocations as interstate construction and interstate rest stops. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
"interstate" means: Of, or relating to two or more states.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
"interstate" means: Of, or relating to two or more states.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (US) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Heard in the wild
“And we start with a car fire that closed the interstate. #traffic”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Yes! U.S. 50 in Fairfax from one major intersection to the Fairfax Circle! Haha I wouldn't recommend that but it does actually have sidewalks the whole (or almost the whole) way. Apparently you'd have to either walk on the interstate or through swampland to get to that stadium?!”
— Bluesky· May 2026“TRAFFIC ALERT: A person died in a crash on Interstate 15 in Las Vegas late Monday night. All lanes are closed at the I-15 southbound at Exit 55.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Nothing from os - yes but I don’t reckon interstate is possibly- eg kids would never get oranges or bananas”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Police in North Charleston are searching for a suspect following an attempted violent robbery early Tuesday morning along Rivers Avenue near Interstate 526. Read more: https://bit.ly/4d4L6Tz”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?
Comments
Australia
#2·Apr 27, 2026AUS
(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.
Heard in the wild
“Yes, agreed. I also do think that to some extent it is to do with size. 26 makes it much trickier to just do things straightforwardly interstate than even 15 did”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Kentucky Transportation Cabinet studies potential improvements to Interstate 24”
— Bluesky· May 2026“A traffic stop on Interstate 95 by the Camden County Sheriff’s Office led to the arrest of a man who had an active murder warrant out of Washington, D.C.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“NEW THIS MORNING | An early morning crash on Interstate 85 South has resulted in one fatality in Anderson County. https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/1-dead-in-i-85-crash-involving-18-wheeler-in-anderson-co/”
— Bluesky· May 2026“He is charged with one count of interstate communication of a threat.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?
Comments
Australia
#3·Apr 27, 2026AUS
(chiefly, US, and, Australia) Crossing states (usually provincial state, but also e.g. multinational sense).
The truck driver drove interstate to unload.
Was this helpful?
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
Australia
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "interstate".
🇦🇺About Australian & NZ slang slang
Aussie and Kiwi vocabulary — bogan, daggy, brekkie, sheila, bach, jandals — the whole Antipodean lexicon, including outback dialect, surf and beach culture, and Sydney/Melbourne street slang.
See all Australian & NZ slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "interstate" (I)
internshipinterrupterinterserviceintersessionintersessionalinterspecialtyinterstate compactinterstaterintertronsIntertubesinterurbaninterval
Browse all slang words starting with I.