Meaning & use
irrupt
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To enter a place suddenly and with force, often in a way that disturbs people already there.
Grammar: No object; often followed by into: The crowd irrupted into the hall.
Patterns
- irrupt into something
Protesters irrupted into the council chamber during the vote.
A group of fans irrupted into the players' tunnel after the final whistle.
Cold air irrupted into the room when the window shattered.
verbintransitivetechnical
In ecology, to increase suddenly and greatly in number, often moving into new areas.
Grammar: No object; used especially of animal populations: The owls irrupt south in winter.
Patterns
- irrupt into something
- irrupt southward
Snowy owls sometimes irrupt into northern states when their prey runs low.
The beetle population irrupted after a mild winter.
Finches can irrupt in huge numbers, appearing far outside their normal range.
Word forms
| third person singular | irrupts |
|---|---|
| past tense | irrupted |
| past participle | irrupted |
| -ing form | irrupting |
Common combinations
- irrupt into a place
- The demonstrators irrupted into the building.
- irrupt suddenly
- The crowd irrupted suddenly through the doors.
- irrupt southward
- Some birds irrupt southward in search of food.
- irrupt in large numbers
- The insects irrupted in large numbers after the rain.
Synonyms and how they differ
- burst in
- More everyday and usually literal; irrupt is more formal and often used for crowds or animal populations.
- invade
- Suggests taking over a place by force; irrupt simply means rushing in suddenly.
- explode
- Used for outward bursting; irrupt is about bursting inward.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: irrupt or erupt?
irrupt vs erupt
Erupt means to burst outward (a volcano erupts, a crowd erupts in cheers); irrupt means to burst inward or to surge suddenly, especially of populations.
Practice
The protesters ___ into the mayor's office during the meeting.
Choose one answer.
Irrupted fits because it means entered suddenly and forcefully. Erupted would mean burst outward, which does not fit the direction of movement; interrupted would need an object like 'interrupted the meeting'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “irrupt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.