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interruption

[ in-tuh-ruhp-shuh n ]

/ ˌɪn təˈrʌp ʃən /

|

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR interruption ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of interrupting.

the state of being interrupted.

something that interrupts.

cessation; intermission.

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RELATED WORDS

layoff, letup, intrusion, stoppage, hiatus, hitch, delay, disruption, pause, disturbance, breach, suspension, rupture, blackout, cutoff, abeyance, dissolution, obstruction, interim, check

Nearby words

Origin of interruption

1350–1400; Middle English interrupcio(u)n < Latin interruptiōn- (stem of interruptiō). See interrupt, -ion

Related formsre·in·ter·rup·tion, noun

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

Examples from the Web for interruption

The incident with Tony Kornheiser, a Pardon the Interruption talking head, serves to highlight the problem with ESPN.
ESPN: The Worldwide Leader in Pricks|Marlow Stern|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One morning in the middle of this quiet ritual–reading and prayer–I felt a sense of interruption.
Joshua DuBois’s Daily Devotionals for Obama Are Now a Book|Joshua DuBois|October 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Spitzer rolled his eyes at the interruption, grumbling a perfunctory “very funny.”
Eliot Spitzer Mobbed by Press, Heckled at First Campaign Stop|David Freedlander|July 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I have published online with seldom more than a day or two of interruption continuously since October 2002.
Murray Bernard Frum, 1931–2013|David Frum|May 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But Obama, in command, feeling comfortable, laughed off the interruption, and dismissed the trouble.
Obama In Israel: He Came, He Spoke, They Swooned|Gil Troy|March 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The buzzer's insistent voice brought her to her feet, even while she frowned at the interruption.
Personality Plus|Edna Ferber
Henning felt that, for some reason or other, his cousin had made the interruption.
'As Gold in the Furnace'|John E. Copus
These interviews were the only interruption to the dulness of their garrison life.
Frederick The Great and His Family|L. Muhlbach
She had been smiling at the officer, but on the interruption of the strangers' entrance she frowned with annoyance.
A Soldier of the Legion|C. N. Williamson
I had a sudden desire, awakened by Arten's interruption, to share the emotions called up by the surrounding scene.
By Desert Ways to Baghdad|Louisa Jebb

British Dictionary definitions for interruption

interruption

/ (ˌɪntəˈrʌpʃən) /

noun

something that interrupts, such as a comment, question, or action

an interval or intermission

the act of interrupting or the state of being interrupted

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 interruption

interruption

n.

late 14c., "a break of continuity," from Old French interrupcion and directly from Latin interruptionem (nominative interruptio) "a breaking off, interruption, interval," noun of action from past participle stem of interrumpere (see interrupt). Meaning "a breaking in upon some action" is from c.1400; that of "a pause, a temporary cessation" is early 15c.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper