Interrupt

/ˌɪntəˈɹʌpt/ · verb

Meaning

(ambitransitive) To disturb or halt (an ongoing process or action, or the person performing it) by interfering suddenly, especially by speaking..

Definitions by Sense

1. (ambitransitive) To disturb or halt (an ongoing process or action, or the person performing it) by interfering suddenly, especially by speaking.
2. (transitive) To divide; to separate; to break the monotony of.
3. (transitive, computing) To assert to (a computer) that an exceptional condition must be handled.
4. (computing, electronics) An event that causes a computer or other device to temporarily cease what it was doing and attend to a condition.

Example Sentences

A maverick politician repeatedly interrupted the debate by shouting.

Do not interrupt me in my course.

One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.” He at once secured attention by his informal method, and when presently the coughing of Jarvis […] interrupted the sermon, he altogether captivated his audience with a remark about cough lozenges being cheap and easily procurable.

The evenness of the road was not interrupted by a single hill.

The packet receiver circuit interrupted the microprocessor.

The interrupt caused the packet handler routine to run.

Synonyms for interrupt

Antonyms for interrupt

Related Words

Word Forms

• interrupts
• interrupting
• interrupted
• interrumpt
• interroupt
• interrout

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions