interrupt

verb

ˌin-tə-ˈrəpt How to pronounce interrupt (audio)
Definition of interruptnext
as in to intrude
to cause a disruption in a conversation or discussion it's rude to interrupt when someone is making an important point

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of interrupt In the locker room after the game, Karlaftis was laughing through an answer to a reporter’s question about the pick when Jones turned around to interrupt him. — Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026 The first season began with two billionaire couples celebrating an engagement when a vengeful stranger (Stamos) interrupted their celebration. — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026 As in Virginia Woolf’s novel, the film’s present-day action is confined to a single day, interrupted by flashbacks to a languid summer vacation three decades past. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026 This wasn’t the first time Kazori has been interrupted on air. — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for interrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for interrupt
  1. intrude
  2. bother
  3. cut in
  4. add
  5. interpose
  6. break in
Verb
  • OpenAI models broke out of testing environments, gained access to the open internet, and intruded into Hugging Face’s computer systems.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Antitrust laws granted the courts the ability to intrude on private contracts and dictate how people should run their businesses.
    — Sen. Rand Paul OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of intrude
Verb
  • In Levittown, the cost-cutting builders at first hadn’t even bothered with tanks and had installed cesspools instead—three decades later, the suburb’s sewer system was still under construction.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Professionally, Bernat didn’t bother to answer a Florida Department of Health administrative complaint detailing the charges in the Alzheimer patient’s case.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of bother
Verb
  • Those crews, Coles said, were one of the casualties from a swath of federal budget cuts in the 1980s.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The majority of the layoffs on the studios side were within Pixar and majority of cuts in the TV group were at National Geographic.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of cut in
Verb
  • On that front, Majeranowski added that textile recycling cannot be viewed as a solution to the fashion industry’s wider environmental impact on its own.
    — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • With a luxe crocodile-embossed suede upper and a slight heel that adds just enough height without weighing you down, these loafers deliver a high-end look—despite being considered orthopedic.
    — Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of add
Verb
  • The short-haired friend interposed herself on the bench between the twenty-three-year-old woman and the thirty-five-year-old man, putting her arm around the former and totally ignoring the latter.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
  • Language, being a product of rationality, lacks the capacity to interpose itself.
    — Rachel Cusk, New Yorker, 13 June 2026
Definition of interpose
Verb
  • After a 10-day wait because of atrocious weather, the crew was able to film the spectacular jump during a 15-minute break in the harsh conditions.
    — Rhett Bartlett, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The insoles have built-in arch support with memory foam footbeds, and they’re designed to hug your feet for a snug fit that feels broken in from day one.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of break in

Browse Nearby Words

interrogatory
interrupt
interrupted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Interrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/interrupt. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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