Meaning & use
interruption
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Meanings
nouncountable
Something that briefly stops an activity or process before it can continue.
Grammar: Countable: use a/an or a plural, as in an interruption or several interruptions.
Patterns
- an interruption in something
- an interruption to something
- without interruption
The meeting went on for two hours without a single interruption.
Heavy rain caused an interruption in the power supply.
We finished the project despite several interruptions.
noununcountable
The act of cutting someone off while they are speaking.
Grammar: Uncountable: talk about interruption in general, not an interruption, when you mean the act itself.
Patterns
- interruption of someone
- constant interruption
Her constant interruption made it hard for him to finish a sentence.
He apologized for the interruption and let her continue.
The chair asked for no interruption during the vote.
Word forms
| plural | interruptions |
|---|
Common combinations
- without interruption
- The machine ran for ten hours without interruption.
- constant interruptions
- Constant interruptions at work make it hard to concentrate.
- cause an interruption
- A technical fault caused an interruption in the broadcast.
- brief interruption
- There was a brief interruption while the lights were fixed.
- interruption in service
- Customers were warned about an interruption in service.
Synonyms and how they differ
- disturbance
- Often suggests noise or disorder rather than a simple pause; use it for a noisy event that disrupts people.
- break
- A planned or welcome pause, such as a coffee break; an interruption is usually unwanted.
- disruption
- Stronger and often longer-lasting; use it when a system or service is seriously affected.
Opposites
Word family
- interrupt verb
- To stop someone speaking or stop an activity for a short time.
- interrupted adjective
- Stopped before finishing, as in an interrupted phone call.
- uninterrupted adjective
- Continuing without any stops or breaks.
Commonly confused: interruption or interception?
interruption vs interception
Interception means catching or stopping something on its way, such as a message or a ball; interruption means briefly stopping an activity.
Practice
The speaker asked the audience to listen ______ interruption.
Choose one answer.
Without interruption is the fixed phrase meaning with no stops. With interruption would suggest there was some, and under or between do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “interruption”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.