entr'acte
/ˈäⁿ(n)-ˌtrakt How to pronounce entr'acte (audio) -ˌträkt; äⁿ(n)-ˈtrakt, -ˈträkt How to pronounce entr'acte (audio)/ (ame, mw)
entr'acte — noun
1. a short performance, such as music or dancing, presented while a play pauses bef
a short performance, such as music or dancing, presented while a play pauses before the next act begins.
During the entr'acte, Daichi's violin solo kept the audience quietly listening.
entr'acte as music between acts
The director added an entr'acte with dancers before the tragic second act.
At the entr'acte, Sofia sang a folk song behind the curtain.
Kabir composed a comic entr'acte after the courtroom scene ended.
- interlude
broader word for a short piece placed between larger parts
- stage number
more informal and usually less tied to classical theater
用法筆記
This sense names something performed during the pause, not the pause itself. It is most common in writing about theater, opera, and ballet.
2. the break in a theater when one act has finished and the next one has not starte
the break in a theater when one act has finished and the next one has not started yet.
Pedro bought coffee during the entr'acte before the curtain rose again.
during the entr'acte at a theater
At the entr'acte, Liam phoned home from the theater lobby.
Christopher stayed in his seat through the entr'acte to read the program.
The ushers closed the doors as the entr'acte came to an end.
- intermission
the standard North American word for this theater break
- interval
the usual British word for the same kind of break
- break
broader everyday word that is less tied to the theater
- continuation
focuses on the performance resuming instead of pausing
用法筆記
This sense names the pause between acts when the audience waits, moves around, or buys something. Use sense 1 when you mean a song, dance, or other piece presented in that pause.