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Synonyms

interrupter

American  
[in-tuh-ruhp-ter] / ˌɪn təˈrʌp tər /
Or interruptor

noun

  1. a person or thing that interrupts.

  2. Electricity. a device for interrupting or periodically opening and closing a circuit, as in a doorbell.


interrupter British  
/ ˌɪntəˈrʌptə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that interrupts

  2. an electromechanical device for opening and closing an electric circuit

"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

Etymology

Origin of interrupter

First recorded in 1505–15; interrupt + -er 1

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:

“We just got the dams removed on the Klamath, and now you want to put another destructive life cycle interrupter in our ocean.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

And as we’re questioning our long-held beliefs about “sink or swim” individualism and intellectual elitism, this is also an interrupter.

From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2026

He now is 48 and works to pacify street beefs before they turn deadly as a violence interrupter.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 20, 2022

“We have to do something. Doing nothing, we see, isn’t working,” said Hardy, a violence interrupter.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 6, 2022

When inspecting the interrupter, make sure that the ground brush in the back of the interrupter base is making good contact with the surface on which it rubs.

From Aviation Engines Design?Construction?Operation and Repair by Victor Wilfred Pag?

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