interjection

American  

[in-ter-jek-shuhn] / ˌɪn tərˈdʒɛk ʃən /

noun

1. the act of interjecting.

2. something interjected, as a remark.

3. the utterance of a word or phrase expressive of emotion; the uttering of an exclamation.

4. Grammar.

   1. any member of a class of words expressing emotion, distinguished in most languages by their use in grammatical isolation, as Hey! Oh! Ouch! Ugh!

   2. any other word or expression so used, as Good grief! Indeed!

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interjection British  

/ ˌɪntəˈdʒɛkʃən /

noun

1. a word or remark expressing emotion; exclamation

2. the act of interjecting

3.  interj..  a word or phrase that is characteristically used in syntactic isolation and that usually expresses sudden emotion; expletive

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interjection Cultural  

1. A brief exclamation, often containing only one word: “Oh!” “Gee!” “Good grief!” “Ouch!”

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Usage

What does interjection mean? An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses something in a sudden or exclamatory way, especially an emotion. Yikes, uh-oh, ugh, oh boy, and ouch are common examples of interjections.In grammar, interjections are considered one of the parts of speech (types of words categorized by function, like nouns and verbs and adjectives).Interjection is the noun form of the verb interject, which most commonly means to interrupt or insert a comment. Interjection can also be used to mean the act or instance of doing so, as in Can I make an interjection?Example: There was a chorus of angry interjections when the people in the audience heard that their taxes would be going up.

Other Word Forms

• interjectional adjective
• interjectionally adverb
• interjectural adjective

Etymology

Origin of interjection

1400–50; late Middle English interjeccio ( u ) n < Latin interjectiōn- (stem of interjectiō ). See interject, -ion

Example Sentences

The libretto is mostly in vernacular English, except for choral interjections of the Buddhist “Diamond Sutra,” sung in Chinese.

From Los Angeles Times

But its structure — in which soft expanses of consoling strings are the ground for interjections of somber trumpet and bursts of talkative flute — suggests the flutes are a single many-headed unit.

From New York Times

After the interjection, the silence continued after a short delay.

From BBC

Shostakovich’s punchlines and interjections seemed more barbed and sarcastic in Trifonov’s hands, and he attacked the cadenzas of the rollicking finale with stormy alternations of fleet-fingered ease and furious typing.

From Washington Post

The film combines pristine digital animation with live-action images and 2D drawings — interjections from Katie, who serves as both our narrator and director, imaginatively revising and annotating the story as she tells it.

From New York Times

Related Words

• cry
• exclamation
• expletive
• insertion
• interpolation
• interposition
• shout