in·ter·mis·sion

(ĭn′tər-mĭsh′ən)

An interval between periods of activity, as between the acts of a play. See Synonyms at pause.

[Middle English intermissioun, from Old French intermission, from Latin intermissiō, intermissiōn-, from intermissus, past participle of intermittere, to interrupt; see intermit.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

intermission

(ˌɪntəˈmɪʃən)

1. (Theatre) an interval, as between parts of a film

2. a period between events or activities; pause

3. the act of intermitting or the state of being intermitted

[C16: from Latin intermissiō, from intermittere to leave off, intermit]

ˌinterˈmissive adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in•ter•mis•sion

(ˌɪn tərˈmɪʃ ən)

n.

1. a short interval allowing a rest between the acts of a play or parts of a performance.

2. a period during which action temporarily ceases; an interval between periods of activity.

3. the act of intermitting or the state of being intermitted.

[1400–50; late Middle English < Latin intermissiō interruption]

in`ter•mis′sive (-ˈmɪs ɪv) adj.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	intermission - the act of suspending activity temporarily pause - temporary inactivity
	2.	intermission - a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something pause, suspension, interruption, break interval, time interval - a definite length of time marked off by two instants lapse - a break or intermission in the occurrence of something; "a lapse of three weeks between letters" blackout - a suspension of radio or tv broadcasting caesura - a pause or interruption (as in a conversation); "after an ominous caesura the preacher continued" dead air - an inadvertent interruption in a broadcast during which there is no sound delay, postponement, time lag, wait, hold - time during which some action is awaited; "instant replay caused too long a delay"; "he ordered a hold in the action" halftime - an intermission between the first and second half of a game rest period, rest, respite, relief - a pause for relaxation; "people actually accomplish more when they take time for short rests" time-out - a brief suspension of play; "each team has two time-outs left" letup, lull - a pause during which things are calm or activities are diminished; "there was never a letup in the noise"

intermission

noun interval, break, pause, stop, rest, suspension, recess, interruption, respite, lull, stoppage, interlude, cessation, let-up (informal), breathing space, entr'acte Drinks were served during the intermission.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

intermission

noun

1. The condition of being temporarily inactive:

abeyance, abeyancy, dormancy, latency, quiescence, suspension.

2. A pause or interval, as from work or duty:

break, recess, respite, rest, time-out.

Informal: breather.

Translations

إسْتِراحَه، فَتْرَة إسْتِراحَه

přestávka

afbrydelsepause

Unterbrechung

intermedio

pause repos trêve entracte

hlé

intervallo senza interruzione

pārtraukumspauze

repouso

odmor

ara fasıla

幕间休息

intermission

[ˌɪntəˈmɪʃən] N (= pause) → interrupción f, intermisión f; (between events) → intervalo m (Theat) → intermedio m
it went on without intermission → continuó sin interrupción

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

intermission

[ˌɪntə^rˈmɪʃ^ən] n (THEATRE, CINEMA) → entracte m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

intermission

→ Unterbrechung f, → Pause f

(Theat, Film) → Pause f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

intermission

[ˌɪntəˈmɪʃ/ən] n (pause) → interruzione f, pausa (Theatre, Cine) → intervallo

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

intermission

(intəˈmiʃən) noun

a usually short pause or gap between two (television or radio) programmes, parts of a programme, play etc.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Linton and his daughter would frequently walk out among the reapers; at the carrying of the last sheaves they stayed till dusk, and the evening happening to be chill and damp, my master caught a bad cold, that settled obstinately on his lungs, and confined him indoors throughout the whole of the winter, nearly without intermission.

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The desire of getting out of the reach of the Galles made us press forward with great expedition, and, indeed, fear having entirely engrossed our minds, we were perhaps less sensible of all our labours and difficulties; so violent an apprehension of one danger made us look on many others with unconcern; our pains at last found some intermission at the foot of the mountains of Duan, the frontier of Abyssinia, which separates it from the country of the Moors, through which we had travelled.

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He could not rest quietly for two minutes together, but kept picking up and then dropping whatsoever came to his hand, and bowing and smiling without intermission, and sitting down and getting up, and again sitting down, and chattering God only knows what about his honour and his good name and his little ones.

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At length, thanks to modern art, instruments of still higher perfection searched the moon without intermission, not leaving a single point of her surface unexplored; and notwithstanding that her diameter measures 2,150 miles, her surface equals the one-fifteenth part of that of our globe, and her bulk the one-forty-ninth part of that of the terrestrial spheroid-- not one of her secrets was able to escape the eyes of the astronomers; and these skillful men of science carried to an even greater degree their prodigious observations.

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But though his whole life was now become one watch on deck; and though the Parsee's mystic watch was without intermission as his own; yet these two never seemed to speak --one man to the other --unless at long intervals some passing unmomentous matter made it necessary.

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She wondered, with little intermission what could be the reason of it; was sure there must be some bad news, and thought over every kind of distress that could have befallen him, with a fixed determination that he should not escape them all.

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Now it chanced there lived in the same boarding-house a fellow-clerk of his, an honest fellow, with what is called a weakness for drink - though it might, in this case, have been called a strength, for the victim had been drunk for weeks together without the briefest intermission. To this unfortunate John intrusted a letter with an inclosure of bonds, addressed to the bank manager.

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It was plain that as he had gone on loading and firing and cursing without the proper intermission, they had found time to regard him.

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Scores of the savages were vigorously plying their stone pestles in preparing masses of poee-poee, and numbers were gathering green bread-fruit and young cocoanuts in the surrounding groves; when an exceeding great multitude, with a view of encouraging the rest in their labours, stood still, and kept shouting most lustily without intermission.

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The rainy season, which commences in October, continues, with little intermission, until April; and though the winters are generally mild, the mercury seldom sinking below the freezing point, yet the tempests of wind and rain are terrible.

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The physician dined that day at Mr Allworthy's; and having after dinner visited his patient, he returned to the company, and told them, that he had now the satisfaction to say, with assurance, that his patient was out of all danger: that he had brought his fever to a perfect intermission, and doubted not by throwing in the bark to prevent its return.

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Let not a man force a habit upon himself, with a perpetual continuance, but with some intermission. For both the pause reinforceth the new onset; and if a man that is not perfect, be ever in practice, he shall as well practise his errors, as his abilities, and induce one habit of both; and there is no means to help this, but by seasonable intermissions.

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