interrupter

American  

[in-tuh-ruhp-ter] / ˌɪn təˈrʌp tər /

Or interruptor

noun

1. a person or thing that interrupts.

2. Electricity. a device for interrupting or periodically opening and closing a circuit, as in a doorbell.

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interrupter British  

/ ˌɪntəˈrʌptə /

noun

1. a person or thing that interrupts

2. an electromechanical device for opening and closing an electric circuit

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Etymology

Origin of interrupter

First recorded in 1505–15; interrupt + -er ¹

Example Sentences

And as we’re questioning our long-held beliefs about “sink or swim” individualism and intellectual elitism, this is also an interrupter.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

He now is 48 and works to pacify street beefs before they turn deadly as a violence interrupter.

From Washington Times • Oct. 20, 2022

Towers, who works as a violence interrupter, said he and his colleagues face significant challenges in building trust with these communities.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2022

And it has become a tiresome sentence interrupter: “I think, like, I might have to, like, leave early.”

From Washington Post • Jan. 14, 2022

In the case of larger coils, we have to employ some form of interrupter in which mercury or a conducting liquid forms one of the contact surfaces.

From Hertzian Wave Wireless Telegraphy by Fleming, John Ambrose

Related Words

• burglar
• criminal
• infiltrator
• interloper
• invader
• raider
• squatter
• thief
• trespasser