interlude
Americannoun
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an intervening episode, period, space, etc.
- Synonyms:
- pause, intermission, respite, interval
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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.
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one of the early English farces or comedies, as those written by John Heywood, which grew out of such pieces.
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any intermediate performance or entertainment, as between the acts of a play.
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an instrumental passage or a piece of music rendered between the parts of a song, church service, drama, etc.
noun
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a period of time or different activity between longer periods, processes, or events; episode or interval
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theatre a short dramatic piece played separately or as part of a longer entertainment, common in 16th-century England
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a brief piece of music, dance, etc, given between the sections of another performance
Other Word Forms
- interludial adjective
Etymology
Origin of interlude
1275–1325; Middle English < Medieval Latin interlūdium, equivalent to Latin inter- inter- + lūd ( us ) play + -ium -ium
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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 Tuesday hearing is an interlude in a longer hearing that began last November over the LA Alliance’s contention that the city repeatedly failed to comply with the 2022 settlement.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026
Later, after a chaotic interlude of rebel rule and an uncertain transition, he was elected head of state as a post-conflict and consensual civil-society figure.
From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025
Myanmar's military has ruled the Southeast Asian country for most of its post-independence history, before a 10-year interlude saw a civilian government take the reins in a burst of optimism and reform.
From Barron's • Dec. 25, 2025
My South Carolina interlude has a dreamlike quality to it.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
