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commercial break

American  

noun

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

commercial break British  

noun

  1. 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

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.

Miss the buzzer and you’re locked out of the auditorium until the next commercial break.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026

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 as obnoxious as it was to hear Cynthia Erivo belting “dooooooooooOOooOOOoowwn!” during every Thanksgiving day commercial break, the film itself was an undeniable delight.

From Salon • Nov. 21, 2025

If you miss it, it’s OK, because the writing is such that the storyline gets reintroduced after every commercial break.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.