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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 The roundtable of women appear hot and bothered that de Lesseps interrupted Patton’s touching tribute to her mom. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026 One of the most famous is the moment Card interrupted his appearance at a classroom in Sarasota, Florida, as a child read a book out loud. — Michael Collins, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026 In another fun moment, Reese was talking to the media after the tight win over Italy and Clark ducked past her, apologizing for interrupting her interviews. — ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026 Instead, Robinson ordered a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy to bring more officers into the council chambers to remove people who continued to interrupt. — Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 10 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
  • Other heavy-handed touches intrude on the film’s sophistication, such as the female protagonist of Jeremy’s novel being like a character trapped in her own existence, unsubtly indicating what Sofia is feeling.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Thinking another male had intruded on his territory, the bird quickly descended.
    — Stephanie Szarmach, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of intrude
Verb
  • What’s bothered me, though, is how its backers have anchored their messaging around a lot of misleading generalizations about the state of college sports.
    — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Having my mother in so much of the film [is what] bothers me.
    — Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of bother
Verb
  • Takaichi introduces tax cut and ambitious spending Takaichi, as part of her measures to combat rising prices, has pushed a two-year cut in the consumption tax to 1% from the current 8% and payouts to households.
    — Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The stock traded above $500 in 2021, then spent the next three years getting cut in half, then cut in half again, as growth slowed, the Grail acquisition blew up under regulatory pressure and the market wanted nothing to do with it.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of cut in
Verb
  • Deposition systems add extremely thin layers of material onto a silicon wafer.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Randal Grichuk started the eighth inning with a home run and Kyle Teel added a three-run blast later in the inning for the White Sox.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 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
  • For more than 50 years, with a few breaks in between, Squeeze has been making memorable tunes by marrying infectious pop melodies with sophisticated and literate lyrics, often about the complexity of relationships.
    — Craig Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Of course, but Spagnuolo would wait to do that until there was a break in the action, then send a few more players into the huddle.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 15 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 21 Sep. 2026.

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