Library / English Dictionary

INTERMISSION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of suspending activity temporarily

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("intermission" is a kind of...):

pause (temporary inactivity)

Derivation:

intermit (cease an action temporarily)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

Synonyms:

break; intermission; interruption; pause; suspension

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Hypernyms ("intermission" is a kind of...):

interval; time interval (a definite length of time marked off by two instants)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "intermission"):

lapse (a break or intermission in the occurrence of something)

blackout (a suspension of radio or tv broadcasting)

caesura (a pause or interruption (as in a conversation))

dead air (an inadvertent interruption in a broadcast during which there is no sound)

delay; hold; postponement; time lag; wait (time during which some action is awaited)

halftime (an intermission between the first and second half of a game)

relief; respite; rest; rest period (a pause for relaxation)

time-out (a brief suspension of play)

letup; lull (a pause during which things are calm or activities are diminished)

Credits

 Context examples: 

She continued by the side of her sister, with little intermission the whole afternoon, calming every fear, satisfying every inquiry of her enfeebled spirits, supplying every succour, and watching almost every look and every breath.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)