Meaning & use
interlude
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Meanings
nouncountable
A short period between two events or activities that is different from what comes before and after.
Grammar: Takes a: a brief interlude; often with of or between.
Patterns
- an interlude of something
- an interlude between things
The vacation was a peaceful interlude in a busy year.
There was a brief interlude of sunshine between storms.
After the argument came a quiet interlude.
nouncountablespecialist
A short piece of music, drama or film shown between the main parts of a performance.
Grammar: Used in performing arts: a musical interlude.
The orchestra played a short interlude between acts.
A comic interlude lightened the serious play.
Word forms
| plural | interludes |
|---|
Common combinations
- brief interlude
- A brief interlude of calm followed.
- musical interlude
- A musical interlude filled the scene change.
- peaceful interlude
- It was a peaceful interlude.
- romantic interlude
- The film includes a romantic interlude.
Synonyms and how they differ
- intermission
- A planned pause between parts of a show, especially in American usage.
- interval
- A neutral gap in time, with no feeling of contrast.
- break
- A plain pause in an activity.
- respite
- Relief from something unpleasant, with more emotional weight.
Word family
- interlude verb
- rare; to fill a pause
Commonly confused: interlude or prelude?
interlude vs prelude
A prelude comes before something; an interlude comes in between.
Practice
The trip was a pleasant ___ between two stressful jobs.
Choose one answer.
An interlude is a short, different period between two others. Prelude means an introduction before something.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “interlude”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.