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Synonyms

irrupt

American  
[ih-ruhpt] / ɪˈrʌpt /

verb (used without object)

  1. to break or burst in suddenly.

  2. to manifest violent activity or emotion, as a group of persons.

  3. (of animals) to increase suddenly in numbers through a lessening of the number of deaths.

irrupt British  
/ ɪˈrʌpt /

verb

  1. to enter forcibly or suddenly

  2. (of a plant or animal population) to enter a region suddenly and in very large numbers

  3. (of a population) to increase suddenly and greatly

"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

Other Word Forms

  • irruption noun
  • unirrupted adjective

Etymology

Origin of irrupt

1850–55; < Latin irruptus; irruption

Vocabulary lists containing irrupt

Make a Break for It: Rupt

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.