interrupt
Americanverb (used with object)
-
interrupts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
interrupted,
past participle, past
-
interrupting
present participle
-
to cause or make a break in the continuity or uniformity of (a course, process, condition, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- intermit
- Antonyms:
- continue
-
to break off or cause to cease, as in the middle of something.
He interrupted his work to answer the bell.
- Antonyms:
- continue
-
to stop (a person) in the midst of doing or saying something, especially by an interjected remark.
May I interrupt you to comment on your last remark?
- Synonyms:
- intermit
verb (used without object)
-
interrupts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
interrupted,
past participle, past
-
interrupting
present participle
noun
verb
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to break the continuity of (an action, event, etc) or hinder (a person) by intrusion
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(tr) to cease to perform (some action)
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(tr) to obstruct (a view)
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to prevent or disturb (a conversation, discussion, etc) by questions, interjections, or comment
noun
Synonym Usage
Interrupt, discontinue, suspend imply breaking off something temporarily or permanently. Interrupt may have either meaning: to interrupt a meeting. To discontinue is to stop or leave off, often permanently: to discontinue a building program. To suspend is to break off relations, operations, proceedings, privileges, etc., for a certain period of time, usually with the stipulation that they will be resumed at a stated time: to suspend operations during a strike.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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interruptednessnoun
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reinterruptverb
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interruptibleadjective
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interruptiveadjective
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noninterruptibleadjective
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noninterruptiveadjective
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self-interruptingadjective
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uninterruptibleadjective
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uninterruptingadjective
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uninterruptiveadjective
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interruptedlyadverb
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interruptivelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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interruptsimple
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interruptssimple
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have interruptedperfect
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has interruptedperfect
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am interruptingprogressive
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are interruptingprogressive
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is interruptingprogressive
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have been interruptingperfect progressive
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has been interruptingperfect progressive
Past
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interruptedsimple
-
had interruptedperfect
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was interruptingprogressive
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were interruptingprogressive
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had been interruptingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of interrupt
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English interrupten, from Latin interruptus, past participle of interrumpere “to break apart,” equivalent to inter- “between, among, together” + rup-, variant stem of rumpere “to burst” + -tus past participle suffix; see inter-, rupture
Explanation
To interrupt someone is to interfere in their activity, disrupt their conversation, or to disturb their peace and quiet. Imagine you're watching reruns of Jeopardy! and your mom interrupts you, threatening to turn off the TV unless you take the trash out. Then your brother interrupts your peace and quiet by shouting answers — wrong answers — at the TV. A special weather bulletin then interrupts your "regularly scheduled program" with a severe thunderstorm warning. And, to complete the job, lightning causes an interrupt (now used as a noun) in the power grid and your electricity goes off.
Vocabulary lists containing interrupt
Make a Break for It: Rupt
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"Raymond's Run"
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Lesson 1
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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:
“If someone is rambling we will often interrupt and say what is the goal?” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
To borrow the nostrum attributed to Napoleon, the Chinese president is smart enough not to interrupt an opponent while he’s making a mistake.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Outside, the more than 1-acre property offers plenty of space and privacy, with no rear neighbors to interrupt its secluded feel.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
"The outbreak spread nationwide before vaccination activities were implemented, creating extensive transmission chains that take time to fully interrupt," the WHO said in a statement to the BBC.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“No, thank you, children. I do not mean to interrupt your breakfast. I simply came to offer my thanks to Madame Ionesco.”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
A low, pulsing electronic tone on the platform interrupts her, announcing the next air raid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Their crunch interrupts the softness of the turkey, cheese and sauces; their salt seasons the sandwich; and their pucker sharpens the lemon mayo and smoky-sweet romesco.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Fewer fires, it said, "interrupts a sequence of years of fire expansion and returns the country to a historically lower level of burned area."
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Millions of people worldwide live with obstructive sleep apnea, a common disorder that repeatedly interrupts breathing during sleep.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026
“Look, son,” he interrupts, “I can’t talk about this anymore.”
From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko
"It's not working for the Broadway productions that are interrupted by loud noise blaring from pedicabs outside their theaters," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Yuliia Ponomarenko, 27, a marketing specialist from Kharkiv, found her journey to Warsaw last month suddenly interrupted just short of the Ukraine-Poland frontier.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Justice Scalia interrupted him and said that while the Privileges or Immunities argument was “the darling of the professoriate,” it was contrary to a century of case law.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
So now the talk has shifted to what happens if Michaels’ run is interrupted because, you know, something happens to him?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
But Nancy's thoughts were interrupted by Bess's voice.
From "The Cinderella Ballet Mystery: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #4" by Carolyn Keene
"After seeing how these two independent pathways intersect, we wanted to see if interrupting one could prevent their partnership in promoting SASP," said Adams.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Scientists say human behavior, including the unchecked burning of fossil fuels, is warming the global climate and interrupting weather patterns.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Wednesday’s debate was acrimonious almost from the beginning, with the two interrupting each other throughout the night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Pharrell’s ad-libs and inserts interrupting the groove at perfect intervals to wake up the dancefloor.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Jonah could see a woman quietly closing the door to the auditorium behind them, probably to keep the noisy cluster of kids from interrupting the adults’ program.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
