interval

American  

[in-ter-vuhl] / ˈɪn tər vəl /

noun

1. an intervening period of time.

   an interval of 50 years.

2. a period of temporary cessation; pause.

   intervals between the volleys of gunfire.

3. a space between things, points, limits, etc.; interspace.

   an interval of ten feet between posts.

   Synonyms:

   gulf, separation, gap, opening

4. Mathematics.

   1. the totality of points on a line between two designated points or endpoints that may or may not be included.

   2. any generalization of this to higher dimensions, as a rectangle with sides parallel to the coordinate axes.

5. the space between soldiers or units in military formation.

6. Music. the difference in pitch between two tones, as between two tones sounded simultaneously harmonic interval or between two tones sounded successively melodic interval.

7. Chiefly New England. intervale.

8. Cards. a period in a game for placing bets.

9. British. an intermission, as between the acts of a play.

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idioms

1. at intervals,

   1. at particular periods of time; now and then.

      At intervals, there were formal receptions at the governor's mansion.

   2. at particular places, with gaps in between.

      detour signs at intervals along the highway.

interval British  

/ ˈɪntəvəl, ˌɪntəˈvælɪk /

noun

1. the period of time marked off by or between two events, instants, etc

2. the distance between two points, objects, etc

3. a pause or interlude, as between periods of intense activity

4. a short period between parts of a play, concert, film, etc; intermission

5. music the difference of pitch between two notes, either sounded simultaneously ( harmonic interval ) or in succession as in a musical part ( melodic interval ). An interval is calculated by counting the (inclusive) number of notes of the diatonic scale between the two notes

   the interval between C and G is a fifth

6. the ratio of the frequencies of two sounds

7. maths the set containing all real numbers or points between two given numbers or points, called the endpoints. A closed interval includes the endpoints, but an open interval does not

8. 1. occasionally or intermittently

   2. with spaces between

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Other Word Forms

• intervalic
  adjective
• intervallic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of interval

1250–1300; Middle English intervall ( e ) < Latin intervallum interval, literally, space between two palisades. See inter-, wall

Explanation

A clock breaks time down into intervals of seconds, minutes, and hours. An interval is a distinct measure of time or the physical or temporal distance between two things. When you are driving down the highway at 60 mph, you'll see distance markers at intervals of .1 miles. That means that every 1/10th of a mile, you will see one of these markers. Do the math and you'll see that these signs flash by you at intervals of 6 seconds. If your coach tells you to try interval training, he is telling you to do something like run for three minutes, lift weights for two, then run again for three. If he tells you do this again and again, you might want to end this interval of your life.

Example Sentences

Interval funds also limit their investors’ ability to withdraw cash, but they may offer quarterly redemption gates that are wider than the BDC’s standard 5% of NAV.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Interval funds operate with defined liquidity windows and often include redemption limits, which can lead to gating in periods of elevated withdrawal requests.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

With $42 billion of total assets at year-end and $31.6 billion of net assets, the Cliffwater fund is the largest SEC-registered private-credit interval fund, according to Interval Fund Tracker.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Interval running proves that fitness doesn't have to demand hours of dedication.

From Science Daily • Oct. 20, 2025

Try searching at YouTube for "Interval song" or "ear training" to find videos that you might find helpful.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• hiatus
• intermission
• interruption
• layoff
• lull
• spell