interrupted

American  

[in-tuh-ruhp-tid] / ˌɪn təˈrʌp tɪd /

adjective

1. broken off or discontinuous.

   Even one night of interrupted sleep can affect your mood.

2. Botany. having an irregular or discontinuous arrangement, as of leaflets along a stem.

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interrupted British  

/ ˌɪntəˈrʌptɪd /

adjective

1. broken, discontinued, or hindered

2. (of plant organs, esp leaves) not evenly spaced along an axis

3. Also: deceptive.  music (of a cadence) progressing from the dominant chord to any other, such as the subdominant or submediant

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Other Word Forms

• interruptedly adverb
• noninterrupted adjective
• noninterruptedly adverb
• noninterruptedness noun
• uninterrupted adjective
• uninterruptedly adverb
• uninterruptedness noun

Etymology

Origin of interrupted

First recorded in 1550–60; interrupt + -ed ²

Example Sentences

That means the U.S. is impacted by disruptions in the Mideast that have interrupted the flow of oil.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

He famously interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Awards, saying Beyoncé should have won the prize for best female artist.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

More recently, failures at large distributors have shown how quickly deliveries can be interrupted, even when goods are available.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026

At this moment communications with Earth will be interrupted: the four astronauts are expected to become the human beings who have traveled farthest from Earth, breaking the Apollo 13 record.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

But when he came to Karel, Karel interrupted.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• broken
• delayed
• disrupted
• postponed