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
-
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
-
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:
They should also tell clients to interrupt them if there’s something they’re unfamiliar with.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
A new study published in Nature Aging brings that possibility closer by identifying how excess fibronectin damages the brain's protective barrier and revealing potential ways to interrupt the process.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
But "we don't have the strength necessary to go and interrupt them", he insisted.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
“If someone is rambling we will often interrupt and say what is the goal?” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 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
But a strict fealty to mimicking that relationship interrupts the conversation between modern and ancient sculpture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Millions of people worldwide live with obstructive sleep apnea, a common disorder that repeatedly interrupts breathing during sleep.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026
“I don’t cut so excellent a figure when I’m vomiting. I bend from the waist, and it interrupts the line of beauty.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Ivorian reggae star Alpha Blondy abruptly interrupted his concert's chilled-out vibes to wade into a far less laid-back subject -- the coups in his country's unrest-riven Sahel neighbours.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
The U.S. expelled a Cuban diplomat after the island country’s foreign minister loudly interrupted an address by U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
The researchers examined whether the spiders displayed "sleep rebound," meaning they compensated for interrupted sleep by increasing their subsequent sleep.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
His Tuesday night campaign event was interrupted when an attendee attempted to confront him over the ad.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
“A half day would hardly be enough time to see the sights of London,” Penelope began to protest, but she was interrupted by a frightful noise, which seemed to have its origins rather close by.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
In January 2024, a landslide above the railroad sent soil and debris crashing onto the tracks at Mariposa Point, destroying the city’s pedestrian bridge and beach trail and temporarily interrupting rail service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
A child interrupting a meeting became, depending on the meeting, either completely understandable or still mortifying.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
"After seeing how these two independent pathways intersect, we wanted to see if interrupting one could prevent their partnership in promoting SASP," said Adams.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Scientists say human behavior, including the unchecked burning of fossil fuels, is warming the global climate and interrupting weather patterns.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Ophie asked all of a sudden, interrupting whatever Miss Alice had been on about.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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