interrupt

verb in·ter·rupt \ ˌin-tə-ˈrəpt \

Definition of interrupt

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

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interruptible

play \ˌin-tə-ˈrəp-tə-bəl\ adjective

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interruption

play \ˌin-tə-ˈrəp-shən\ noun

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interruptive

play \ˌin-tə-ˈrəp-tiv\ adverb

See interrupt defined for English-language learners

See interrupt defined for kids

Examples of interrupt in a Sentence

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 of interrupt from the Web

Even with other managers, I often got ignored or interrupted.

— ellen pao, The Cut, "This Is How Sexism Works in Silicon Valley," 20 Aug. 2017
At the 500 Club, their act contained the core of what would excite crowds for the next decade: Martin acting seductively toward women, Lewis doing his utmost to interrupt the singer by breaking plates and drinking water from flower vases.

— adam bernstein, Alaska Dispatch News, "Jerry Lewis, comedy king and master of slapstick, dies at 91," 20 Aug. 2017
As the recruits attempted to go through their daily cleaning, training, cooking and studying, they were constantly interrupted by firefighters and academy staff to be dispatched on simulated fire calls, according to the Facebook post.

— emily zentner, sacbee, "Sacramento Fire recruits get a taste of firefighter life in greulling simulation," 19 Aug. 2017
Overall, linguistic barriers played an important role: the diffusion was often interrupted by language boundaries.

— cathleen o'grady, Ars Technica, "Tracking the spread of culture through folktales," 13 Aug. 2017
No matter the case, the personal life and daily routine of a juror is interrupted and put on hold.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: The importance of jury service," 19 July 2017
Costa Mesa National Little League interrupted the recent dominance of Costa Mesa American Little League with a 6-1 victory in the opener of the best-of-three Mayor’s Cup series between Majors Division All-Star teams at Costa Mesa High.

— barry faulkner, Daily Pilot, "Costa Mesa National wins Mayor's Cup opener," 8 July 2017
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces interrupted a protest organized by indigenous people and now may face consequences.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "A 17-Year-Old Was Charged With Stealing an FBI Agent's SUV," 5 July 2017
Still, that dialog is being interrupted by the standoff between the U.S. and North Korea over the latter’s nuclear program.

— Bloomberg.com, "China Trapping U.S. at Trade Table With 100-Day Sweetener Talks," 5 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of interrupt

Middle English, from Latin interruptus, past participle of interrumpere, from inter- + rumpere to break — more at reave

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

interrupt Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

barge (in), bother, horn in; add, contribute, put in

interrupt

noun in·ter·rupt \ ˌin-tə-ˈrəpt , ˈin-tə-ˌrəpt \

Definition of interrupt

: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

First Known Use of interrupt

1957

Other Computer-Related Terms

adware, flash, kludge, phishing, recursive, router

INTERRUPT Defined for English Language Learners

interrupt

verb

Definition of interrupt for English Language Learners

: to ask questions or say things while another person is speaking : to do or say something that causes someone to stop speaking
: to cause (something) to stop happening for a time
: to cause (something) to not be even or continuous : to change or stop the sameness or smoothness of (something)