interrupt
Americanverb (used with object)
-
interrupts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
interrupted,
past participle, past
-
interrupting
present participle
-
to cause or make a break in the continuity or uniformity of (a course, process, condition, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- intermit
- Antonyms:
- continue
-
to break off or cause to cease, as in the middle of something.
He interrupted his work to answer the bell.
- Antonyms:
- continue
-
to stop (a person) in the midst of doing or saying something, especially by an interjected remark.
May I interrupt you to comment on your last remark?
- Synonyms:
- intermit
verb (used without object)
-
interrupts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
interrupted,
past participle, past
-
interrupting
present participle
noun
verb
-
to break the continuity of (an action, event, etc) or hinder (a person) by intrusion
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(tr) to cease to perform (some action)
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(tr) to obstruct (a view)
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to prevent or disturb (a conversation, discussion, etc) by questions, interjections, or comment
noun
Synonym Usage
Interrupt, discontinue, suspend imply breaking off something temporarily or permanently. Interrupt may have either meaning: to interrupt a meeting. To discontinue is to stop or leave off, often permanently: to discontinue a building program. To suspend is to break off relations, operations, proceedings, privileges, etc., for a certain period of time, usually with the stipulation that they will be resumed at a stated time: to suspend operations during a strike.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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interruptednessnoun
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reinterruptverb
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interruptibleadjective
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interruptiveadjective
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noninterruptibleadjective
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noninterruptiveadjective
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self-interruptingadjective
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uninterruptibleadjective
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uninterruptingadjective
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uninterruptiveadjective
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interruptedlyadverb
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interruptivelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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interruptsimple
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interruptssimple
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have interruptedperfect
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has interruptedperfect
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am interruptingprogressive
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are interruptingprogressive
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is interruptingprogressive
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have been interruptingperfect progressive
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has been interruptingperfect progressive
Past
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interruptedsimple
-
had interruptedperfect
-
was interruptingprogressive
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were interruptingprogressive
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had been interruptingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of interrupt
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English interrupten, from Latin interruptus, past participle of interrumpere “to break apart,” equivalent to inter- “between, among, together” + rup-, variant stem of rumpere “to burst” + -tus past participle suffix; see inter-, rupture
Explanation
To interrupt someone is to interfere in their activity, disrupt their conversation, or to disturb their peace and quiet. Imagine you're watching reruns of Jeopardy! and your mom interrupts you, threatening to turn off the TV unless you take the trash out. Then your brother interrupts your peace and quiet by shouting answers — wrong answers — at the TV. A special weather bulletin then interrupts your "regularly scheduled program" with a severe thunderstorm warning. And, to complete the job, lightning causes an interrupt (now used as a noun) in the power grid and your electricity goes off.
Vocabulary lists containing interrupt
Make a Break for It: Rupt
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"Raymond's Run"
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Lesson 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Instead of focusing only on destroying cancer cells, future therapies might interrupt the signaling between macrophages and the nerves that appear to support tumor growth.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Their pages don’t flicker with pop-up ads or interrupt one book to tell you about others you might want to read.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
The three-minute breaks, which interrupt the games during the 22nd and 67th minutes, have drawn the ire of soccer fans worldwide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
London asserts that early investment in recess quality, particularly organized, inclusive recess for the youngest students could interrupt the disciplinary pipeline before it starts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Mrs. Clarke, I am sorry to interrupt your chess game, but could you summon Jasper and have him at the ready to run a letter to the post, posthaste?”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Their crunch interrupts the softness of the turkey, cheese and sauces; their salt seasons the sandwich; and their pucker sharpens the lemon mayo and smoky-sweet romesco.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Fewer fires, it said, "interrupts a sequence of years of fire expansion and returns the country to a historically lower level of burned area."
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
A phone call would be a lot worse mostly because it puts you on the spot and interrupts your day.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
But a strict fealty to mimicking that relationship interrupts the conversation between modern and ancient sculpture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
“All right, everybody, calm down,” Principal Jenkins interrupts.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
In some cases, the breaks interrupted the flow of the game just as a team was starting to take control.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Throughout the interview, Bash repeatedly interrupted Kennedy to challenge claims she said conflicted with the broader scientific consensus, particularly on COVID-19 vaccines and autism research.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
The story - or myth - goes, that following their last win in 1951 the Mayo team's boisterous celebrations on an open-back lorry interrupted a funeral in the village of Foxford.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
"When prevention disappears, infections rise. When treatment is interrupted, people die. We know how this story ends if we fail to act," warned Byanyima.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“We would pay extra,” Mom interrupted, her voice just as steely as the other woman’s.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Pharrell’s ad-libs and inserts interrupting the groove at perfect intervals to wake up the dancefloor.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
By interrupting the repeated nighttime reliving of trauma, the treatment allowed many of them to sleep more peacefully.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
But they did not want the court itself interrupting or striking down Congress’ legislation.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
A bird of prey which stops pigeons from interrupting play at Wimbledon treats the All England Club as "his playground", according to his handler.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
"And Jake kept interrupting me. Why do you interrupt me? Do you think you talk Spanish better than I do?"
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
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.
