interrupt

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to stop someone from speaking or doing something by suddenly breaking in.

   Please don't interrupt me while I'm on the phone.

2. 2
   verb

   to stop an action or process for a while.

   We interrupt the program to bring you the following news.

3. 3
   noun

   in computing, a signal that makes a device pause its task to deal with something urgent.

   The interrupt caused the program to pause and handle the new data.

From Middle English interrupten, derived from Latin interruptus, past participle of interrumpere (“to break apart/off, interrupt”), from inter (“between”) + rumpere (“to break”).

Topics