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commercial break

American

noun

a short interruption during radio or television programming for the broadcasting of a commercial or commercials.

commercial break British

noun

an interruption in a radio or television programme for the broadcasting of advertisements

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

commercial breaks

plural

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:

commercial break

The nominations will be announced over about 20 minutes, with a gap in the middle to allow US network ABC to take a commercial break.

From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026

And when Hollywood trades posted on social media that the award for best original score was announced during a commercial break, the Globes felt all the more distasteful.

From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026

Anyway, DiCaprio got a little more animated at that moment than he was on the red carpet, but it took going to a commercial break for him to go truly meme-worthy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2026

After a commercial break, Behar had in hand a small electric fan, which she promptly aimed at Jones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025

I want to rest on her soft shoulder, but I know I only have until Spencer comes back from the commercial break.

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023