INTERRUPTION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does interruption mean? 

• INTERRUPTION (noun)
  The noun INTERRUPTION has 3 senses:

1. an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity

2. some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity

3. a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

  Familiarity information: INTERRUPTION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INTERRUPTION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An act of delaying or interrupting the continuity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

break; disruption; gap; interruption

Context example:

there was a gap in his account

Hypernyms ("interruption" is a kind of...):

delay; holdup (the act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "interruption"):

cut-in; insert ((broadcasting) a local announcement inserted into a network program)

interjection; interpellation; interpolation; interposition (the action of interjecting or interposing an action or remark that interrupts)

abruption; breaking off (an instance of sudden interruption)

barracking; heckling (shouting to interrupt a speech with which you disagree)

cut-in; insert ((film) a still picture that is introduced and that interrupts the action of a film)

Derivation:

interrupt (interfere in someone else's activity)

interrupt (make a break in)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

break; interruption

Context example:

there was a break in the action when a player was hurt

Hypernyms ("interruption" is a kind of...):

happening; natural event; occurrence; occurrent (an event that happens)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "interruption"):

dislocation; disruption (an event that results in a displacement or discontinuity)

punctuation (something that makes repeated and regular interruptions or divisions)

abatement; hiatus; reprieve; respite; suspension (an interruption in the intensity or amount of something)

eclipse; occultation (one celestial body obscures another)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Synonyms:

break; intermission; interruption; pause; suspension

Hypernyms ("interruption" is a kind of...):

interval; time interval (a definite length of time marked off by two instants)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "interruption"):

letup; lull (a pause during which things are calm or activities are diminished)

time-out (a brief suspension of play)

relief; respite; rest; rest period (a pause for relaxation)

halftime (an intermission between the first and second half of a game)

delay; hold; postponement; time lag; wait (time during which some action is awaited)

dead air (an inadvertent interruption in a broadcast during which there is no sound)

caesura (a pause or interruption (as in a conversation))

blackout (a suspension of radio or tv broadcasting)

lapse (a break or intermission in the occurrence of something)

 Context examples 

A question about whether an individual has or had meal interruptions due to problems with their teeth, denture or mouth.

(Meal Interruptions due to Problems with Teeth, Denture or Mouth, NCI Thesaurus)

A voice, 'Yes,' and considerable interruption which ended in several men being put out of the hall.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Pathogenesis of LRI stems from ischemia, interruption of the blood supply and direct cell damage.

(Late Radiation Injury, NCI Thesaurus)

The unit of measure for the duration of an interruption in treatment.

(Interruption Duration Unit, NCI Thesaurus)

Miss Betsey, without taking the least notice of the interruption, continued to address herself to Mr. Murdstone as if there had been no such thing.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Difficulty in recollection, or interruption of a train of thought or speech, due to emotional factors.

(Mental Blocking, NCI Thesaurus)

This leads to an interruption of the bacterial cell wall and causes bacterial lysis.

(Methicillin, NCI Thesaurus)

I feared nothing but interruption, and that came too soon.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Stabilization of microtubule polymerization causes interruption of mitosis and is the mode of action of several antineoplastic agents.

(Microtubule Polymerization Process, NCI Thesaurus)

An interruption or interference in continuity.

(Disruption, NCI Thesaurus)