interrupt
gb/ˌɪntɚˈʌpt/ us/ˌɪntɚˈʌpt/
B1
English
~ 900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Stop someone in middle of talking/doing
To stop someone while they are talking or doing something.
Usage pattern:
to interrupt [someone/something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'interrupt' with 'disturb'. 'Interrupt' means to break the flow of an activity, especially speaking, while 'disturb' can mean to bother or cause discomfort without necessarily stopping an action.
Synonyms
interject (More formal; usually refers specifically to speaking briefly during another's speech.)
|
cut in (Informal; often used for interrupting in conversation.)
Antonyms
continue (Means to keep going without stopping.)
Collocations
interrupt a conversation
|interrupt a meeting
|interrupt someone’s speech
|politely interrupt
Themes
communication
|daily life
|relationships
Examples
- Please don’t interrupt me while I’m explaining.
- She interrupted the teacher to ask a question.
- The phone rang, interrupting our discussion.
- He rudely interrupted her in mid-sentence.
Learner examples
- Do not interrupt your friend when he is talking.
- I will interrupt you if I have a question.
- The loud noise interrupted my work.
- He interrupted me with a joke.
Verb
B1
action
2
Temporarily stop an activity/process
To make something stop for a short time.
Usage pattern:
to interrupt [an activity/process/event]
Synonyms
suspend (Often more formal; implies stopping for a set period.)
|
halt (Stronger and more abrupt stop.)
Antonyms
resume (Means to start again after a pause.)
Collocations
interrupt service
|interrupt power supply
|interrupt production
Themes
daily life
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Heavy rain interrupted the football match.
- The power outage interrupted the movie.
- Work was interrupted by a fire drill.
Learner examples
- The rain interrupted the game.
- The noise interrupted my sleep.
- The meeting was interrupted by a phone call.
Noun
technical
C1
event
3
Computer signal stopping process
In computers, a signal that stops what the computer is doing so it can do something else.
Synonyms
signal (General term; in this context refers to communication to the processor.)
Collocations
hardware interrupt
|software interrupt
|interrupt handler
Themes
technology
|computing
Examples
- The keyboard generates an interrupt when a key is pressed.
- A hardware interrupt was triggered by the network card.
- The program waits for an interrupt before continuing.
Learner examples
- The computer stops when it gets an interrupt.
- A mouse click can make an interrupt.
- An interrupt tells the computer to do another job.
Grammar
Dictionary form
interrupt
IPA
GB/ˌɪntɚˈʌpt/
US/ˌɪntɚˈʌpt/
Syllables & stress
in - ter - rupt (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (ter)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: interrupt
- 3rd Person Singular: interrupts
- Present Participle: interrupting
- Past: interrupted
Word family
Forms
interrupts
verb
interrupting
verb
interrupted
verb
Core family
interruption
noun B2
Related words
interrupter
noun
Negative and opposite forms
uninterrupted
adjective
Advanced or less common
interruptible
adjective
Expressions
interrupt someone’s train of thought
1/ˌɪntɚˈʌpt sˈʌmwˌʌnz tɹˈeɪn əv θˈɔt/
fixed phrase
Cause someone to lose their thinking flow
To make someone forget what they were thinking about by stopping them.
Examples
- The loud noise interrupted my train of thought.
- Don’t interrupt her train of thought while she’s writing.
sorry to interrupt
1/sˈɑɹi tə ˌɪntɚˈʌpt/
fixed phrase
Polite way to stop someone speaking
A polite way to say you want to stop someone so you can speak.
Examples
- Sorry to interrupt, but could I ask a quick question?
- Sorry to interrupt, but your phone is ringing.