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.

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interrupter British  

/ ˌɪntəˈrʌptə /

noun

1. a person or thing that interrupts

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

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Etymology

Origin of interrupter

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

Example Sentences

Scott strengthened an existing program that deploys violence interrupters in some of Baltimore’s most dangerous neighborhoods.

From Seattle Times

Then light machine guns, mounted on the fronts of planes, were equipped with “interrupter” gears that allowed the guns to fire through the propellers without hitting the blades.

From Literature

Those characteristics include the same number of exons, which encode the protein, and phases of introns, which act as interrupters to stop or start splicing of the RNA molecules transcribed from the gene.

From Science Daily

“If all the violence interrupter is doing is canvassing the neighborhood three times a week, that’s not going to be enough. There needs to be more of a person-specific strategy,” Mr. Muhammad told The Times.

From Washington Times

It plans to train more community violence interrupters — those who are trained in conflict resolution and counseling and are deployed throughout the community and at events — and enroll more families to receive such counseling.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• burglar
• criminal
• infiltrator
• interloper
• invader
• raider
• squatter
• thief
• trespasser