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

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Etymology

Origin of interlude

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

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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

Meanwhile, with “In My Life,” listeners are treated to multiple takes in which Martin transforms the song’s Bach-like keyboard interlude from a Hammond organ solo into a piano flourish for the ages.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Wall Street sees the war as ongoing, viewing the interim peace agreement as a short-lived interlude.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

She said many fans had already left in the 20-minute interlude between the end of the game and the fireworks show, leaving the stands relatively empty and reducing the likelihood of injuries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

This drama is far from over, even if a private coffee and a very public, grand occasion means there is a brief interlude today.

From BBC ● May 13, 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

At first, these carefree interludes seem to be a welcome respite from “Queen at Sea’s” choking anxiety.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Unsettled weather looks likely to continue beyond that with spells of rain interspersed with drier, brighter interludes.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

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

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

The new set squeezes 20 tracks into a 46-minute runtime, many of which are short interludes designed to keep things moving.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

For Wagner, nothing was allowed to distract from the unfolding musical story and he would happily intertwine chorus, solo, duets, instrumental interludes so that you could hardly tell when one ended and another began.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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Related Words

• breathing space
• idyll
• lull
• respite

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