verb
Other Word Forms
- intermitter noun
- intermittingly adverb
- intermittor noun
- unintermitted adjective
- unintermitting adjective
Etymology
Origin of intermit
1535–45; < Latin intermittere to leave a space between, drop (for a while), leave off, equivalent to inter- inter- + mittere to send, let go
Explanation
To intermit is to stop doing something for a while. You might intermit your Spanish classes this summer so you can take a full-time job as a lifeguard. Intermit is a formal or old-fashioned way to say "pause," or sometimes "pause periodically." It's much more common to use the adjective intermittent for things that start and stop, and both words come from the Latin inter, "between," and mittere, "to send." If you regularly intermit your dog training sessions, it's going to take a lot longer to teach Spot to heel!
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.
With the cold war's intermit tent crises no longer seeming so momentous, one eye of U.S. foreign policy has shifted to the long view.
From Time Magazine Archive
And having risen, he did not intermit his industry for a moment.
From The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte Vol. IV. (of IV.) by Sloane, William Milligan
General Scott, nevertheless, though equally anxious to terminate the conflict, did not for a moment intermit his military vigilance.
Never will I intermit my enmity to our invaders; never will I live for any other object than the liberties of our people.
From The Hour and the Man, An Historical Romance by Martineau, Harriet
This is quite enough of time for taking care of the outer man, and any one careful of his health will be sure to intermit one or two of these seasons.
From Young Americans Abroad Vacation in Europe: Travels in England, France, Holland, Belgium, Prussia and Switzerland by Choules, J.O.
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.
