interval

noun

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in·ter·val | \ ˈin-tər-vəl

Definition of interval

1a : a space of time between events or states

b British : intermission

2a : the difference in pitch between two tones

b : a space between objects, units, points, or states

3 : one of a series of fast-paced exercises interspersed with slower ones or brief rests for training (as of an athlete)

4 : a set of real numbers between two numbers either including or excluding one or both of them

Other Words from interval Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about interval

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Examples of interval in a Sentence

a three-month interval between jobs There might be long intervals during which nothing happens. The sun shone for brief intervals throughout the day. There will be a 20-minute interval between acts one and two.

Recent Examples on the Web The initial order came in October 2016, and the electronic surveillance stretched into the summer of 2017 with a trio of extensions at three-month intervals. — Daniel Chaitin, Washington Examiner, "Mark Meadows: 'Real probable cause concerns' with first two Carter Page FISA orders," 26 Jan. 2020 Petit rested there for four hours, but Sass had to stay for six hours plus his start differential from Saturday, when teams left Glennallen in two-minute intervals. — Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News, "Nic Petit endures the cold to make it three in a row at Copper Basin 300," 14 Jan. 2020 Combine the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a bowl and heat in the microwave at 30-second intervals until the mixture can be stirred smooth, about 1 minute 30 seconds. — Carrie Knauer, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Carrie’s Kitchen: Making sweet food gifts for Christmas always a great idea," 9 Dec. 2019 The government has also set benchmarks for progress in artificial-intelligence development at five-year intervals. — Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, "How TikTok Holds Our Attention," 23 Sep. 2019 Today, the tower houses a somewhat underwhelming LED that flashes at five-second intervals. — Sarah Feldberg, SFChronicle.com, "Remember that viral lighthouse job? They got it," 12 Sep. 2019 Also absent from this Subaru's equipment list is an automatic maintenance monitor, so minding the vehicle's service intervals is the owner's responsibility. — David Beard, Car and Driver, "Our Subaru Ascent Drinks Heavily When Towing," 24 Jan. 2020 By using those simple rules, recall follows a trajectory that loops back on itself at some random interval. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Why can’t I remember? Model may show how recall can fail," 24 Jan. 2020 With a free iFit subscription, choose from thousands of workouts that incorporate weights as well as intervals. — Popular Science, "Four great treadmills for a convenient home workout," 22 Jan. 2020

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