ENGLISH
REFERENCE

interrupts

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˌɪntɝˈəpts// UK //ˈɪntəɹˌʌpts// in·ter·rupts

v. to stop someone while they are talking or doing something. You do this by saying or doing something else that breaks their focus.

v. to break the continuity of an action, speech, or process by interjecting or creating an obstacle. Refers to the third-person singular present form of the action.


SIMPLE

He always interrupts me when I am trying to explain the rules.

CONTEXTUAL

The loud alarm interrupts our meeting every Tuesday morning at exactly ten o'clock.

COMPLEX

A sudden power outage interrupts the digital recording process, often resulting in corrupted files that require significant effort to recover or repair.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object, though it can be used intransitively when referring to speech.

Pitfall

He interrupts to meHe interrupts meInterrupt is a transitive verb and does not require the preposition 'to' before the object.

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