interrupted

[in-tuh-ruhp-tid]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR interrupted ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Botany.

having an irregular or discontinuous arrangement, as of leaflets along a stem.

Origin of interrupted

Related formsnon·in·ter·rupt·ed, adjectivenon·in·ter·rupt·ed·ly, adverbnon·in·ter·rupt·ed·ness, nounun·in·ter·rupt·ed, adjectiveun·in·ter·rupt·ed·ly, adverbun·in·ter·rupt·ed·ness, noun

interrupt

[verb in-tuh-ruhpt; noun in-tuh-ruhpt]

verb (used with object)

to cause or make a break in the continuity or uniformity of (a course, process, condition, etc.).

to break off or cause to cease, as in the middle of something: He interrupted his work to answer the bell.

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?

verb (used without object)

to cause a break or discontinuance; interfere with action or speech, especially by interjecting a remark: Please don't interrupt.

noun

Computers. a hardware signal that breaks the flow of program execution and transfers control to a predetermined storage location so that another procedure can be followed or a new operation carried out.

Origin of interrupt

1375–1425; late Middle English interrupten < Latin interruptus past participle of interrumpere to break apart, equivalent to inter- inter- + rup-, variant stem of rumpere to burst + -tus past participle suffix; see rupture

Related formsin·ter·rupt·ed·ly, adverbin·ter·rupt·ed·ness, nounin·ter·rupt·i·ble, adjectivein·ter·rup·tive, adjectivenon·in·ter·rupt·i·ble, adjectivenon·in·ter·rup·tive, adjectivere·in·ter·rupt, verbself-in·ter·rupt·ing, adjectiveun·in·ter·rupt·i·ble, adjectiveun·in·ter·rupt·ing, adjectiveun·in·ter·rup·tive, adjective

Synonyms for interrupt

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR interrupt ON THESAURUS.COM

1, 3. intermit. 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.

Antonyms for interrupt

1, 2. continue.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for interrupted

postponed, delayed, broken, discontinued, suspended, hindered, checked, discontinuous, intermittent, irregular

Examples from the Web for interrupted

Contemporary Examples of interrupted

But the stories of the Riveras and Toros are often interrupted by the stories of their neighbors.
The 2014 Novel of the Year
Nathaniel Rich
December 29, 2014
After our talk—and, of course, much more research—I filed a version of the following story on my website Hollywood, Interrupted.
I Warned You About Bill Cosby in 2007
Mark Ebner
November 20, 2014
When host David Gregory interrupted to note that Carson also said that “it is slavery in a way,” the Doctor agreed.
Fringe Factor: The Common Core Will Turn Your Kids as Gay as Possible
Caitlin Dickson
May 25, 2014
Welch interrupted, offering a smile that signaled pure exhaustion and defeat.
The Heroin Hearing That Wasn’t
Abby Haglage
April 30, 2014
We half expect the music cue to be interrupted by something equally (and intentionally) cliché, like the brrrzzzzzzippp!
What's Happened to Don Draper? Why Everyone’s Favorite ‘Mad Men’ Stud Needs His Mojo Back
Lizzie Crocker
April 16, 2014

Historical Examples of interrupted

"I crave pardon," interrupted Aspasia, with haughty impatience.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
"There's enough like that kind, though," interrupted Uncle Peter.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
“Alack me no alacks,” she interrupted, holding up her riding rod.
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
Their brother Stukely had been interrupted in the charge which he was about to make.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
This quickness upon me, interrupted my mother, is not to be borne!
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for interrupted

interrupted

adjective

broken, discontinued, or hindered

(of plant organs, esp leaves) not evenly spaced along an axis

Also: deceptive music (of a cadence) progressing from the dominant chord to any other, such as the subdominant or submediant

Derived Formsinterruptedly, adverb

interrupt

verb

to break the continuity of (an action, event, etc) or hinder (a person) by intrusion

(tr) to cease to perform (some action)

(tr) to obstruct (a view)

to prevent or disturb (a conversation, discussion, etc) by questions, interjections, or comment

noun

the signal to initiate the stopping of the running of one computer program in order to run another, after which the running of the original program is usually continued

Derived Formsinterruptible, adjectiveinterruptive, adjectiveinterruptively, adverb

Word Origin for interrupt

C15: from Latin interrumpere, from inter- + rumpere to break

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

Word Origin and History for interrupted

interrupt

1957, originally in computers, from interupt (v.).

interrupt

c.1400, "to interfere with a legal right," from Latin interruptus, past participle of interrumpere "break apart, break off," from inter- "between" (see inter-) + rumpere "to break" (see rupture (n.), and compare corrupt). Meaning "to break into (a speech, etc.)" is early 15c. Related: Interrupted; interrupting.