Words / B1

INT-uh-vl/ˈɪntəvl/

An interval is a gap in time: at regular intervals; a ten-minute interval. In UK theatres it is the break (US intermission). Break is everyday; gap can be space or time. Do not use interval for a school holiday — that is a holiday or half-term. At intervals means repeatedly with gaps.

Meaning

A period of time between two events; also a short break in a play or concert.

Examples

• “There will be a twenty-minute interval in the middle of the exam.”
• “There is a fifteen-minute interval in the middle of the listening paper.”
• “Buses run at twenty-minute intervals after 7 p.m.”

Good to know

at regular / twenty-minute intervals. Theatre UK: the interval (US intermission). Everyday: break. Not a school holiday.

Near in meaning

break

New