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From Latin interruptus, from interrumpere ‎(to break apart, break to pieces, break off, interrupt), from inter ‎(between) + rumpere ‎(to break).


  • IPA(key): /ˌɪntəˈɹʌpt/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌpt
  • Hyphenation: in‧ter‧rupt


interrupt ‎(third-person singular simple present interrupts, present participle interrupting, simple past and past participle interrupted)

  1. To disturb or halt an ongoing process or action by interfering suddenly.
    • Shakespeare
      Do not interrupt me in my course.
    A maverick politician repeatedly interrupted the debate by shouting.
  2. To divide; to separate; to break the monotony of.
    The evenness of the road was not interrupted by a single hill.
  3. (computing) To assert to a computer that an exceptional condition must be handled.
    The packet receiver circuit interrupted the microprocessor.


Related terms[edit]




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interrupt ‎(plural interrupts)

  1. (computing) An event that causes a computer to temporarily cease what it was doing and attend to a condition
    The interrupt caused the packet handler routine to run.


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