interrupt
Americanverb (used with object)
-
interrupts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
interrupted,
past participle, past
-
interrupting
present participle
-
to cause or make a break in the continuity or uniformity of (a course, process, condition, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- intermit
- Antonyms:
- continue
-
to break off or cause to cease, as in the middle of something.
He interrupted his work to answer the bell.
- Antonyms:
- continue
-
to stop (a person) in the midst of doing or saying something, especially by an interjected remark.
May I interrupt you to comment on your last remark?
- Synonyms:
- intermit
verb (used without object)
-
interrupts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
interrupted,
past participle, past
-
interrupting
present participle
noun
verb
-
to break the continuity of (an action, event, etc) or hinder (a person) by intrusion
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(tr) to cease to perform (some action)
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(tr) to obstruct (a view)
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to prevent or disturb (a conversation, discussion, etc) by questions, interjections, or comment
noun
Synonym Usage
Interrupt, discontinue, suspend imply breaking off something temporarily or permanently. Interrupt may have either meaning: to interrupt a meeting. To discontinue is to stop or leave off, often permanently: to discontinue a building program. To suspend is to break off relations, operations, proceedings, privileges, etc., for a certain period of time, usually with the stipulation that they will be resumed at a stated time: to suspend operations during a strike.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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interruptednessnoun
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reinterruptverb
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interruptibleadjective
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interruptiveadjective
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noninterruptibleadjective
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noninterruptiveadjective
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self-interruptingadjective
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uninterruptibleadjective
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uninterruptingadjective
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uninterruptiveadjective
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interruptedlyadverb
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interruptivelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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interruptsimple
-
interruptssimple
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have interruptedperfect
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has interruptedperfect
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am interruptingprogressive
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are interruptingprogressive
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is interruptingprogressive
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have been interruptingperfect progressive
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has been interruptingperfect progressive
Past
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interruptedsimple
-
had interruptedperfect
-
was interruptingprogressive
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were interruptingprogressive
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had been interruptingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of interrupt
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English interrupten, from Latin interruptus, past participle of interrumpere “to break apart,” equivalent to inter- “between, among, together” + rup-, variant stem of rumpere “to burst” + -tus past participle suffix; see inter-, rupture
Explanation
To interrupt someone is to interfere in their activity, disrupt their conversation, or to disturb their peace and quiet. Imagine you're watching reruns of Jeopardy! and your mom interrupts you, threatening to turn off the TV unless you take the trash out. Then your brother interrupts your peace and quiet by shouting answers — wrong answers — at the TV. A special weather bulletin then interrupts your "regularly scheduled program" with a severe thunderstorm warning. And, to complete the job, lightning causes an interrupt (now used as a noun) in the power grid and your electricity goes off.
Vocabulary lists containing interrupt
Make a Break for It: Rupt
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"Raymond's Run"
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Lesson 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
By identifying the toxin's previously unknown point of attachment, researchers have uncovered a potential way to interrupt a harmful biological process before it begins.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
They should also tell clients to interrupt them if there’s something they’re unfamiliar with.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
Fat mums and hydrangeas, perhaps punctuated with a sunflower or two, arranged in short vases that don’t interrupt conversation.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
This makes it significantly harder to interrupt the propagation of an AI-driven computer worm, because you have to anticipate all the possible vulnerabilities the devices might present.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Hey, I don’t mean to interrupt your little lovefest,” Esperanza said, coming up to the two of them, “but Moss...we need to be careful getting off at this station.”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
She talks almost exclusively about herself, interrupts constantly and has an opinion about everyone, often an unflattering one.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
Their crunch interrupts the softness of the turkey, cheese and sauces; their salt seasons the sandwich; and their pucker sharpens the lemon mayo and smoky-sweet romesco.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Fewer fires, it said, "interrupts a sequence of years of fire expansion and returns the country to a historically lower level of burned area."
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Millions of people worldwide live with obstructive sleep apnea, a common disorder that repeatedly interrupts breathing during sleep.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026
A soft knock on the door interrupts them: Alan and Judy and Amber and Clover, all there to see the baby.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Tyce voiced her theory at breakfast, but turned her frustrations to Roxy, who felt Tyce had interrupted Duffy when defending herself.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Ivorian reggae star Alpha Blondy abruptly interrupted his concert's chilled-out vibes to wade into a far less laid-back subject -- the coups in his country's unrest-riven Sahel neighbours.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Understanding how viruses construct their protective protein shells, and how that construction might be interrupted, could lead to new antiviral drugs, improved vaccines, and other medical treatments.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
His Tuesday night campaign event was interrupted when an attendee attempted to confront him over the ad.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
The return of the boy-Human interrupted my work, and I was forced to bury what I had done under the sand and make myself look innocent.
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
In January 2024, a landslide above the railroad sent soil and debris crashing onto the tracks at Mariposa Point, destroying the city’s pedestrian bridge and beach trail and temporarily interrupting rail service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
A child interrupting a meeting became, depending on the meeting, either completely understandable or still mortifying.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
The Rahims had always been a spirited bunch when eating together, constantly interrupting each other in a friendly competition for airtime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
The team then tested whether interrupting one of those inflammatory signals could reverse the problem.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
Sometimes the kids started interrupting their dad or mom, but Mr. Morales just reminded them that they could be polite if they tried.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
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