interval
noun
in·ter·val
ˈin-tər-vəl 
plural intervals
1
a
: a space of time between events or states
a two-month interval between medical treatments
There were long intervals during the game in which nothing exciting happened.
b
British
: intermission
There was a twenty minute interval between acts two and three.
2
: the difference in pitch between two tones
3
: a space between objects, units, points, or states
The posts were set up at regular intervals along the road.
4
: one of a series of fast-paced or intense physical exercises alternated with slower or less intense ones or brief rests for training (as of an athlete) see also interval training
5
: a set of real numbers between two numbers either including or excluding one or both of them
Synonyms
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 control intervals were chosen to match the days of the week and to account for seasonal and weekly variations in risk.
—
Mira Cheng, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024
That roughly 18-year pattern is known as a Saros cycle, based on an ancient Babylonian word for a time interval.
—Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024
After spending much of the post-Aviary interval working with movies, including Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Holter’s filmic vision has never sounded more diffuse.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2024
Decades of research since has confirmed that vigilance is difficult to maintain, even over brief intervals.
—Matthew Robison, Discover Magazine, 2 Mar. 2024
The monthly histogram shows that the first six months in any year have been a strong time interval.
—Bill Sarubbi, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
The best flower subscriptions are pure magic, delivering beautiful blooms straight to your doorstep on set intervals.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2024
At various intervals, videos depicting an extremist Presidential candidate and his military loyalists stream onto their screens, as social media posts about ongoing unrest are typed and sent by Jones and Goldsmith next door.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
Then, the shot clock malfunctioned and after several attempts to restart the game and fix the clock, referees eventually determined that the arena PA announcer would announce the time left on the clock at five second intervals in real time.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024
Mira Cheng, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024
That roughly 18-year pattern is known as a Saros cycle, based on an ancient Babylonian word for a time interval.
—Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024
After spending much of the post-Aviary interval working with movies, including Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Holter’s filmic vision has never sounded more diffuse.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2024
Decades of research since has confirmed that vigilance is difficult to maintain, even over brief intervals.
—Matthew Robison, Discover Magazine, 2 Mar. 2024
The monthly histogram shows that the first six months in any year have been a strong time interval.
—Bill Sarubbi, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
The best flower subscriptions are pure magic, delivering beautiful blooms straight to your doorstep on set intervals.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2024
At various intervals, videos depicting an extremist Presidential candidate and his military loyalists stream onto their screens, as social media posts about ongoing unrest are typed and sent by Jones and Goldsmith next door.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
Then, the shot clock malfunctioned and after several attempts to restart the game and fix the clock, referees eventually determined that the arena PA announcer would announce the time left on the clock at five second intervals in real time.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'interval.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to interval
Dictionary Entries Near interval
Cite this Entry
“Interval.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interval. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
interval
noun
in·ter·val
ˈint-ər-vəl
1
: a period of time between events or states : pause
a three-month interval
the interval between elections
2
: a space between things
the interval between two desks
3
: difference in pitch between tones
Medical Definition
interval
noun
in·ter·val
ˈint-ər-vəl
: a space of time between events or states
intervals between pregnancies
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