Word a Day
interrupt
What does interrupt mean?
interrupt (verb): to disturb or halt (an ongoing process or action, or the person performing it) by interfering suddenly, especially by speaking.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you use interrupt in a sentence?
- Please don't interrupt me while I'm on the phone. (Princeton WordNet 3.1)
Where does interrupt come from?
From Middle English interrupten, derived from Latin interruptus, past participle of interrumpere (“to break apart/off, interrupt”), from inter (“between”) + rumpere (“to break”).
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “interrupt”?
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What does “interrupt” mean?
in standing or walking, to sway from one side to the other as if about to fall; to stand or walk unsteadily; to reel or totter
Not quite: that's what stagger means.
to disturb or halt (an ongoing process or action, or the person performing it) by interfering suddenly, especially by speaking
Right! That's what “interrupt” means.
to press between two hard objects; to squeeze so as to alter the natural shape or integrity, or to force together into a mass
Not quite: that's what crush means.
to advocate or urge on behalf of (something or someone); to attempt to popularize or sell by means of advertising or publicity
Not quite: that's what promote means.
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