interrupter

noun

in·​ter·​rupt·​er ˌin-tə-ˈrəp-tər How to pronounce interrupter (audio)
variants or less commonly interruptor
: one that interrupts
especially : a device for interrupting an electric current usually automatically

Examples of interrupter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Monday’s report was based on interviews with more than 70 police officers and violence interrupters and an analysis of fatal and nonfatal shootings in the District between January 2021 and December 2022. Emily Davies, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024 Barksdale was shot and killed three years ago, at age 46 -- the first of three Safe Streets violence interrupters murdered in the span of a year. Byron Pitts, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2024 Dante Barksdale, known to his community as Tater, helped mediate conflicts as a violence interrupter. Byron Pitts, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, violence interrupters at Operation Good in Jackson, Mississippi, where the murder rate is the highest in the nation, according to FBI records, are grappling with challenges. Byron Pitts, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2024 There are also other items in this toolset for more professional use, like a non-contact voltage tester with a flashlight, a ground fault circuit interrupter tester, and a voltage and continuity tester. Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Jan. 2024 Hidden in the glove box or in another discreet spot, a kill switch (or engine interrupter) effectively immobilizes the vehicle. Laura Daily, Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2023 Several ongoing efforts are looking at solid-state circuit interrupters that are one-tenth the weight of their ground counterparts and yet can clear a DC fault 10 times as fast. Amy Jankovsky, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Nov. 2023 And then there are accidental interrupters — the people who approach desolate strangers in subway stations. Billy Lezra, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'interrupter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1512, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of interrupter was circa 1512

Dictionary Entries Near interrupter

Cite this Entry

“Interrupter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interrupter. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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