interrupt

The word “interrupt” means to break in on someone who is speaking or on an ongoing action. In plain terms, to break into something that is happening or being said.

“Interrupt” is pronounced ihn-tuh-RUHPT (/ˌɪntəˈɹʌpt/ in IPA).

Here is “interrupt” used in a sentence: “Please don't interrupt me while I'm on the phone.”

Words with a similar meaning to “interrupt” include interject.

The opposite of “interrupt” — its antonyms — are continue and resume.

Depending on how it is used, “interrupt” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “interrupt” comes from Latin. From Latin interrumpere, "to break apart," from inter- ("between") plus rumpere ("to break").

“Interrupt” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Interrupt means to break in on someone who is speaking or on an ongoing action, often stopping it entirely for a moment, while interject usually means to insert a brief remark or comment, sometimes without fully stopping the flow of conversation. Interject can feel less disruptive than interrupt, though both involve breaking into speech.

In computing, an interrupt is a signal that makes a computer pause its current task to deal with something more urgent, such as input from a keyboard or a hardware error. Once the more urgent task is handled, the computer typically resumes what it was doing before the interrupt occurred.

Interrupting is generally considered impolite in most conversational contexts because it breaks in on someone before they finish speaking, though norms vary by culture and situation, such as fast-paced debates or urgent emergencies where interrupting may be necessary or expected.