interruption

/ˌɪntəˈrʌpʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪntəˈrʌpʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌin-tə-ˈrəp-shən/ (ame, mw)

interruption — noun

  • interruptionsingular
  • interruptionsplural

1. A short period during which an activity, event, or process is stopped, usually b

1.名詞B2
釋義

A short period during which an activity, event, or process is stopped, usually by an unexpected person or thing that gets in the way.

例句

The street noise caused an interruption in the lesson, forcing the teacher to stop.

interruption in [noun] — common preposition pattern

Ryo apologised for the interruption when he walked into the wrong meeting room by mistake.

apologise for the interruption — set phrase

同義詞
  • disruption

    stronger in meaning — a disruption causes disorder and is harder to recover from than an interruption

  • disturbance

    focuses on the annoying or distracting effect, not necessarily a full stop of activity

  • break

    can be intentional or planned, unlike interruption which is typically unwanted

反義詞

文法句型

interruption + to + noun phrase

interruption + in + noun phrase

用法筆記

Often used with a prepositional phrase introduced by 'to' (interruption to my work) or 'in' (interruption in the lesson). Frequently follows verbs such as 'cause', 'apologise for', or 'ignore'.

常見錯誤

❌The meeting had a long interruption for two hours.
✅The meeting was interrupted for two hours.
💡'interruption' refers to a shorter break; for longer stoppages, use 'break' or 'disruption'.
❌I need to work without interruption.
✅I need to work without interruptions.
💡In this sense, 'interruption' is usually a countable noun, so the plural or an article is needed.

2. A gap, pause, or break within something that is normally continuous, such as a s

2.名詞C1
釋義

A gap, pause, or break within something that is normally continuous, such as a signal, a supply, or a conversation.

例句

The TV signal had a brief interruption, and the screen went black for a moment.

signal interruption — compound noun in technical contexts

Emre noticed a brief interruption in the heartbeat pattern on the hospital monitor.

interruption in [something] — common preposition pattern

同義詞
  • pause

    a shorter, often intentional stop; less disruptive than an interruption

  • break

    a planned or natural gap in continuity; neutral in tone

  • lapse

    a temporary failure or gap, often in attention or memory

反義詞
  • continuity

    the state of being continuous without gaps

文法句型

interruption + in + noun phrase

without interruption

用法筆記

This sense is common in technical contexts (signal interruption, service interruption) and can be uncountable in the phrase 'without interruption' meaning 'continuously'.

常見錯誤

❌The internet service had an interruption of three days.
✅The internet service was down for three days.
💡'interruption' implies a short gap; use 'outage' or 'downtime' for extended periods.