intermission

American  

[in-ter-mish-uhn] / ˌɪn tərˈmɪʃ ən /

noun

1. a short interval between the acts of a play or parts of a public performance, usually a period of approximately 10 or 15 minutes, allowing the performers and audience a rest.

2. a period during which action temporarily ceases; an interval between periods of action or activity.

   They studied for hours without an intermission.

3. the act or fact of intermitting; state of being intermitted.

   to work without intermission.

---

intermission British  

/ ˌɪntəˈmɪʃən /

noun

1. an interval, as between parts of a film

2. a period between events or activities; pause

3. the act of intermitting or the state of being intermitted

---

Other Word Forms

• intermissive adjective

Etymology

Origin of intermission

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin intermissiōn- (stem of intermissiō ) interruption, equivalent to intermiss ( us ) (past participle of intermittere to intermit ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

This slightly trimmed concert version ran three hours with one intermission.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Dent had 19 points at intermission and outscored USC by himself in the last nine minutes of the half, 7-6.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

From August through November, we move from my mom’s to mine to my siblings’, with only a brief intermission before my dad’s rolls around in April.

From Salon • Feb. 3, 2026

"He managed to convince the marching band - a huge deal at American universities - to come and play in the intermission between singles and doubles matches," Ram told BBC Sport.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

I picture her in a front-row seat, scribbling reviews that make or break the shows, vanishing at intermission while the actors' hearts break.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

Related Words

• interruption
• interval
• lull