interlude

American  

[in-ter-lood] / ˈɪn tərˌlud /

noun

• interludes
  plural

1. an intervening episode, period, space, etc.

   Synonyms:

   pause, intermission, respite, interval

2. a short dramatic piece, especially of a light or farcical character, formerly introduced between the parts or acts of miracle and morality plays or given as part of other entertainments.

3. one of the early English farces or comedies, as those written by John Heywood, which grew out of such pieces.

4. any intermediate performance or entertainment, as between the acts of a play.

5. an instrumental passage or a piece of music rendered between the parts of a song, church service, drama, etc.

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interlude British  

/ ˈɪntəˌluːd /

noun

1. a period of time or different activity between longer periods, processes, or events; episode or interval

2. theatre a short dramatic piece played separately or as part of a longer entertainment, common in 16th-century England

3. a brief piece of music, dance, etc, given between the sections of another performance

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interludial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• interludes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of interlude

1275–1325; Middle English < Medieval Latin interlūdium, equivalent to Latin inter- inter- + lūd ( us ) play + -ium -ium

Explanation

An interlude is a brief period of time that comes in the middle of something. You might enjoy a relaxing lemonade interlude in the middle of a tough day at your road-paving job. Any block of time that comes as a break or a respite from an activity can be called an interlude, so you could talk about a quiet interlude after a noisy birthday party, or an interlude of peace after years of war. Interlude is often used to describe the pauses between acts of a play or during an intermission. In fact, the original meaning came from the Latin interludium, which means "between a play".

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

interlude interludes

Markets treated that memorandum of understanding as the end to the war, but it was actually a short-lived interlude “in an ongoing war,” analysts at Piper Sandler said in a note.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Morgan Stanley, which was a lead banker on the SpaceX IPO, seems to think the dip will be an interlude.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Another important interlude is the segue of “American Skin” into “Long Walk Home.”

From Salon ● May 28, 2026

Other close-ups are less effective—for example, those fixed on the hands and arms of Romeo and Juliet for their “balcony” interlude, where their bare limbs interact in less-than-memorable choreographic configurations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026

The song sparrow, who knows how brief and lovely life is, says, “Sweet, sweet, sweet interlude; sweet, sweet, sweet interlude.”

From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White

The room also observed a two-minute silence and there were multiple musical interludes.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Anchored on a near-orchestral soundstage, its 20 tracks ricochet from in-your-face punk dissonance to majestic broken-heart dirges, a lovely duet with St. Vincent, rootsy folk interludes and farfisa-rich lounge.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

His ongoing dispute with a folding bicycle and a long-running complaint about the behavior of the upstairs neighbors are, though they make for some very funny interludes, symptomatic of entrenched unhappiness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Even active seasons can have notably quiet interludes, while below-average years can still produce devastating hurricanes.

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

Then other instruments, notably sax, trombone and trumpet, perform similarly athletic interludes atop the structure.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• breathing space
• idyll
• lull
• respite