interrupts
təˈrʌpt; verb (used with object)
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, especially by an interjected remark: May I interrupt you to comment on your last remark?
verb (used without object)
4.
to cause a break or discontinuance; interfere with action or speech, especially by interjecting a remark: Please don't interrupt.
noun
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 Middle English interrupten < Latin interruptus past participle of interrumpere to break apart, equivalent to inter- inter- + rup-, variant stem of rumpere to burst + -tus past participle suffix; see rupture
1375–1425; late Middle English interrupten < Latin interruptus past participle of interrumpere to break apart, equivalent to inter- inter- + rup-, variant stem of rumpere to burst + -tus past participle 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
non·in·ter·rupt·i·ble, adjective
non·in·ter·rup·tive, adjective
re·in·ter·rupt, verb
self-in·ter·rupt·ing, adjective
un·in·ter·rupt·i·ble, adjective
un·in·ter·rupt·ing, adjective
un·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.
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.
1, 2. continue.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To interrupts
00:10
Interrupts
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
interrupt (ˌɪntəˈrʌpt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to break the continuity of (an action, event, etc) or hinder (a person) by intrusion |
| 2. | (tr) to cease to perform (some action) |
| 3. | (tr) to obstruct (a view) |
| 4. | to prevent or disturb (a conversation, discussion, etc) by questions, interjections, or comment |
| —n | |
| 5. | the signal to initiate the stopping of the running of one computer program in order to run another, after which the running of the original program is usually continued |
| [C15: from Latin interrumpere, from | |
| inter'ruptible | |
| —adj | |
| inter'ruptive | |
| —adj | |
| inter'ruptively | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
interrupt
1. [techspeak] n. On a computer, an event that interrupts normal processing and temporarily diverts flow-of-control through an "interrupt handler" routine. See also trap.
2. interj. A request for attention from a hacker. Often explicitly spoken. "Interrupt -- have you seen Joe recently?" See priority interrupt.
3. 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 OS (going directly to a BIOS interrupt) to get reasonable performance.
Jargon
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
FOLDOC
Matching Quote
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
