to interrupt
909
2.5
- verb
- /ˌɪntəˈrʌpt/
:
interrumpir
- I didn't mean to interrupt that conversation.
- interrupt each other
- interrupt the flow
- interrupt the narrative
I usually just interrupt and I go, come on.
- I usually just interrupt and I go, come on.
- So I wanted to come here and interrupt your day-to-day.
- There are brain disorders that can interrupt these processes too.
- Is it possible to interrupt a pattern from the past?
- I talk so much, I interrupt so much, but I listen, man.
- How do you not interrupt the patient's story?
- He would rarely or almost never interrupt one when one was making a point.
- Sorry, Ashbrook, I interrupt you, Yugo, Go, go, go.
- And he sort of looks down and smiles and interrupts his prepared remarks.
Examples
-
Just after 8 p.m. on October 30, 1938, a news flash interrupted a popular radio show.
Academic text (2011) -
Throughout the day, the quiet of our office was interrupted by his jarring spells of laughter.
Fiction book (1990) -
So again, please interrupt me if you have questions.
-
If you have any questions, please raise your hand or interrupt me now.
-
So please interrupt me, ask me questions.
-
I usually just interrupt and I go, come on.
-
Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to tell you -
-
A flustered Indy tries to explain, but is suddenly interrupted by a hand on his shoulder.
Fiction book (1990) -
Am I interrupting anything?
-
I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation earlier.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To stop an activity or end a habit
620
3.8
To stop something suddenly before it is finished
346
1.0
Stop for a short time before continuing
269
4.4
To interrupt normal activity and cause disorder
183
2.1
Interrupt someone's quiet or stop them from resting
141
3.9
To stop something officially for a short time
67
3.5
Stop something earlier than planned
50
3.2
To stop something suddenly before it is finished, for example a talk or relationship
28
5.1
Happen at times and interrupt the main action
11
3.3
Interrupt an activity so it stops for a short time
6
3.5
Interrupt someone who is speaking or doing something
3
3.9
To suddenly stop moving or speaking because you are surprised
2
4.3
Temporarily stop an activity to rest or think
1
7.4
Stop someone suddenly, often during speech or action
To stop for a short time and then start again
To stop something before it finishes
Antonyms
How Interruptive
Surface Forms
Morphology
interrupt = inter + rupt
Formally analyzable as inter- + rupt- ('break between'), but 'rupt' is not a standalone English word, so learners cannot reliably infer the verb's meaning from its parts.
Etymology
The word interrupt comes from the parts inter- 'between' and rupt 'break', the same root as erupt and rupture. So to interrupt is to 'break in between', which is why it means to stop or break the flow of something, like cutting into a conversation.