![[P]](http://cache.lexico.com/g/d/premium_mh.gif){kind=small}
in·ter·rupt 
Audio Help [v. in-tuh-ruhpt; n. in-tuh-ruhpt] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
Audio Help [v. in-tuh-ruhpt; n. in-tuh-ruhpt] Pronunciation Key –verb (used with object)
–verb (used without object)
–noun
| 1. | to cause or make a break in the continuity or uniformity of (a course, process, condition, etc.). |
| 2. | to break off or cause to cease, as in the middle of something: He interrupted his work to answer the bell. |
| 3. | to stop (a person) in the midst of doing or saying something, esp. by an interjected remark: May I interrupt you to comment on your last remark? |
| 4. | to cause a break or discontinuance; interfere with action or speech, esp. by interjecting a remark: Please don't interrupt. |
| 5. | Computers. a hardware signal that breaks the flow of program execution and transfers control to a predetermined storage location so that another procedure can be followed or a new operation carried out. |
[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME interrupten < L interruptus ptp. of interrumpere to break apart, equiv. to inter- inter- + rup-, var. s. of rumpere to burst + -tus ptp. suffix; see rupture]
] —Related forms
in·ter·rupt·ed·ly, adverb
in·ter·rupt·ed·ness, noun
in·ter·rupt·i·ble, adjective
in·ter·rup·tive, adjective
—Synonyms 1, 3. intermit. Interrupt, discontinue, suspend imply breaking off something temporarily or permanently. Interrupt may have either meaning: to interrupt a meeting. To discontinue is to stop or leave off, often permanently: to discontinue a building program. To suspend is to break off relations, operations, proceedings, privileges, etc., for a certain period of time, usually with the stipulation that they will be resumed at a stated time: to suspend operations during a strike.
—Antonyms 1, 2. continue.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
interrupt
To learn more about interrupt visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| in·ter·rupt
Audio Help (ĭn'tə-rŭpt') Pronunciation Key
v. in·ter·rupt·ed, in·ter·rupt·ing, in·ter·rupts v. tr.
v. intr. To break in on an action or discourse. n. Computer Science
[Middle English interrupten, from Old French interrupte, interrupted, from Latin interruptus, past participle of interrumpere, to break off : inter-, inter- + rumpere, to break; see reup- in Indo-European roots.] in'ter·rupt'i·ble adj., in'ter·rup'tion n., in'ter·rup'tive adj. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
interrupt
c.1420, from L. interruptus, pp. of interrumpere "break apart, break off," from inter- "between" + rumpere "to break" (see rupture, and compare corrupt).
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| interrupt | |
noun | |
| 1. | a signal that temporarily stops the execution of a program so that another procedure can be carried out |
verb | |
| 1. | make a break in; "We interrupt the program for the following messages" |
| 2. | destroy the peace or tranquility of; "Don't interrupt me when I'm reading" |
| 3. | interfere in someone else's activity; "Please don't interrupt me while I'm on the phone" |
| 4. | terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky streak"; "break the cycle of poverty" |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
interrupt1 [intəˈrapt] verb
to stop a person while he is saying or doing something, especially by saying etc something oneself
Example: He interrupted her while she was speaking; He interrupted her speech; Listen to me and don't interrupt!
interrupt2 [intəˈrapt] verbExample: He interrupted her while she was speaking; He interrupted her speech; Listen to me and don't interrupt!
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
to stop or make a break in (an activity etc)
Example: He interrupted his work to eat his lunch; You interrupted my thoughts.
interrupt3 [intəˈrapt] verbExample: He interrupted his work to eat his lunch; You interrupted my thoughts.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
to cut off (a view etc)
Example: A block of flats interrupted their view of the sea.
See also: interruptionExample: A block of flats interrupted their view of the sea.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
interrupt programming
1. An asynchronous event that suspends normal processing and temporarily diverts the flow of control through an "interrupt handler" routine.
Interrupts may be caused by both hardware (I/O, timer, machine check) and software (supervisor, system call or trap instruction).
In general the computer responds to an interrupt by storing the information about the current state of the running program; storing information to identify the source of the interrupt; and invoking a first-level interrupt handler. This is usually a kernel level privileged process that can discover the precise cause of the interrupt (e.g. if several devices share one interrupt) and what must be done to keep operating system tables (such as the process table) updated. This first-level handler may then call another handler, e.g. one associated with the particular device which generated the interrupt.
2. Under MS-DOS, nearly synonymous with "system call" because the OS and BIOS routines are both called using the INT instruction (see interrupt list) and because programmers so often have to bypass the operating system (going directly to a BIOS interrupt) to get reasonable performance.
[The Jargon File]
(1995-02-07)
| The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe |
Interrupt
In`ter*rupt"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Interrupted; p. pr. & vb. n. Interrupting.] [L. interruptus, p. p. of interrumpere to interrupt; inter between + rumpere to break. See Rupture.]1. To break into, or between; to stop, or hinder by breaking in upon the course or progress of; to interfere with the current or motion of; to cause a temporary cessation of; as, to interrupt the remarks speaking. Do not interrupt me in my course. --Shak. 2. To divide; to separate; to break the monotony of; as, the evenness of the road was not interrupted by a single hill.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Interrupt
In`ter*rupt"\, p. a. [L. interruptus, p. p.] Broken; interrupted. [Obs.] --Milton.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web
Share This: 
Perform a new search, or try your search for "interrupt" at:
- Amazon.com - Shop for books, music and more
- Reference.com - Encyclopedia Search
- Reference.com - Web Search powered by Google
- Thesaurus.com - Search for synonyms and antonyms
