intermission
Americannoun
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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.
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a period during which action temporarily ceases; an interval between periods of action or activity.
They studied for hours without an intermission.
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the act or fact of intermitting; state of being intermitted.
to work without intermission.
noun
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an interval, as between parts of a film
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a period between events or activities; pause
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the act of intermitting or the state of being intermitted
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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
Explanation
The lengthy pause in the middle of a play or concert is called an intermission. If you're hungry, you might have time to grab a snack during the intermission. The word intermission has a Latin root, intermissionem, "a breaking off or interruption." Originally, it meant any temporary pause, but by the 1850s it was often used in reference to breaks between acts in theatrical performances. In the UK, this is known as an "interval," but in North America, theater and concert attendees wait until the intermission to use the restroom.
Vocabulary lists containing intermission
Reading: Literature - Drama - Introductory
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Reading: Literature - Drama - Middle School
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Blasted to Smithereens: Synonyms for "Break"
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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.
When: Through June 21 Tickets: $49-$440 Running time: About 2 hours, 50 minutes, with one intermission.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
But he never wrote it, and during intermission the audience is polled to see whether Mr. Lynn’s prologue should be performed.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Howden had a chance to double the lead less than six minutes before the second intermission, but he whiffed trying to bat a loose puck in an open net from the right side.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
Just more than two minutes before the first intermission, the physical nature of the series boiled over in a series of scuffles that ended with referee Graham Skilliter meeting with the captains of both teams.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026
When the lights went up for intermission, I stole a glance at Barack.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
