interrupt

verb

in·ter·rupt | \ ˌin-tə-ˈrəpt

interrupted; interrupting; interrupts

Definition of interrupt

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to stop or hinder by breaking in interrupted the speaker with frequent questions

2 : to break the uniformity or continuity of a hot spell occasionally interrupted by a period of cool weather

intransitive verb

: to break in upon an action especially : to break in with questions or remarks while another is speaking

interrupt

noun

in·ter·rupt | \ ˌin-tə-ˈrəpt

, ˈin-tə-ˌrəpt\

Definition of interrupt (Entry 2 of 2)

: a feature of a computer that permits the temporary interruption of one activity (such as the execution of a program) in order to perform another also : the interruption itself

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Other Words from interrupt

Verb

interruptible \ ˌin-tə-ˈrəp-tə-bəl

\ adjective

interruption \ ˌin-tə-ˈrəp-shən

\ noun

interruptive \ ˌin-tə-ˈrəp-tiv

\ adverb

Synonyms for interrupt

Synonyms: Verb

break in, chime in, chip in [chiefly British], cut in, interpose, intrude

Examples of interrupt in a Sentence

Verb

It's not polite to interrupt. His dinner was interrupted by a phone call. We interrupt this program to bring you a special announcement. Every summer periods of cool weather occasionally interrupt the intense heat.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

However, an insurance plan can cover prepaid trip costs if weather interrupts your travels or causes delays, baggage loss or missed connections. — Amy Ettinger, The Know, "Climate change is coming for your travel plans. Here’s how to cope.," 6 Aug. 2019 The prevalence of resistance in people who restarted efavirenz and nevirapine after interrupting treatment was much higher (21%) than in first-time users (8%). — Scientific American, "Alarming Surge in Drug-Resistant HIV Uncovered," 30 July 2019 Yet, their speech was cut off by the mayor and city attorney, with Birmingham's mayor interrupting one speaker by abruptly gavelling the meeting over and walking out. — Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press, "Video reveals fiery exchange at Birmingham city commission meeting," 18 July 2019 In his post-match news conference, Italian tennis journalist Ubaldo Scanagatta asked him a question, but couldn't finish without Djokovic interrupting. — Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, "With ticket to Wimbledon final punched, relive funniest moments from Novak Djokovic's career," 12 July 2019 Servers know how to establish a rhythm to the meal without constantly interrupting conversation. — Bill Addison, latimes.com, "Choose your own dining adventure at stunning new Auburn," 3 July 2019 Elsewhere, Apple killed iTunes, and Amazon's Jeff Bezos couldn't talk about space without being interrupted by a chicken and the Obamas are turning to podcasts. — Graeme Mcmillan, WIRED, "While You Were Offline: Trump Had a Very Long Week in the UK," 9 June 2019 Indiana Solicitor General Thomas Fisher started his arguments Monday with a description of how the dilation and evacuation procedure is performed on the fetus, but Barker quickly interrupted him. — Tom Davies, Post-Tribune, "Judge questions reasons for Indiana abortion procedure ban," 3 June 2019 What has only become clear in the past decade is the possibility of tapping into the communication, amplifying it, and interrupting it. — Sally Adee, Quartz, "Our bodies are full of electricity that could help us fight cancer," 30 May 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Faced with out-of-bounds readings for the radar’s hardware, each CDU began to issue radar increment and decrement interrupts to the guidance computer—lots of interrupts. — Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, "No, a “checklist error” did not almost derail the first moon landing," 5 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'interrupt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.