interruption

noun

in·​ter·​rup·​tion ˌin-tə-ˈrəp-shən 

plural interruptions

1

: an act of interrupting something or someone or the state of being interrupted: such as

a

: a stoppage or hindering of an activity for a time

Our conversation continued without interruption for over an hour.

b

: a break in the continuity of something

Internet service interruptions

2

: something that causes a stoppage or break in the continuity of something

a rude interruption

watching television without commercial interruptions

Synonyms of interruption

• interval
• hiatus
• pause
• gap

Examples of interruption in a Sentence

an interruption in cable service during the lightning storm

a brief interruption in the discussion while we all got coffee

Recent Examples on the Web

In a news release shared Tuesday, Verizon said that service interruptions affected people across Los Angeles County and other parts of the region after vandals cut multiple fiber cables. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

But Wills’ career has had numerous injury interruptions, most recently a leg injury in 2024 that required osteotomy surgery and kept him out of the 2025 season as well. — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026

Gloria Mark’s long-running research on attention at UC Irvine has documented that when external interruptions are removed from someone’s environment, the void left behind gets filled in by self-interruption instead. — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Broward County government spokesman Greg Meyer said about 94% of the dredging project was already complete and that officials hope the work can resume in the fall with minimal interruption, assuming the damage assessment allows for it. — Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for interruption

• incorruption
• corruption
• disruption
• eruption
• irruption