interval

noun

in·​ter·​val ˈin-tər-vəl How to pronounce interval (audio)
plural intervals
1
a
: a space of time between events or states
a two-month interval between medical treatments
There were long intervals during the game in which nothing exciting happened.
b
British : intermission
There was a twenty minute interval between acts two and three.
2
: the difference in pitch between two tones
3
: a space between objects, units, points, or states
The posts were set up at regular intervals along the road.
4
: one of a series of fast-paced or intense physical exercises alternated with slower or less intense ones or brief rests for training (as of an athlete) see also interval training
5
: a set of real numbers between two numbers either including or excluding one or both of them
intervallic adjective

Examples of interval in a Sentence

a three-month interval between jobs There might be long intervals during which nothing happens. The sun shone for brief intervals throughout the day. There will be a 20-minute interval between acts one and two.
Recent Examples on the Web The best flower subscriptions are pure magic, delivering beautiful blooms straight to your doorstep on set intervals. Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2024 At various intervals, videos depicting an extremist Presidential candidate and his military loyalists stream onto their screens, as social media posts about ongoing unrest are typed and sent by Jones and Goldsmith next door. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024 Then, the shot clock malfunctioned and after several attempts to restart the game and fix the clock, referees eventually determined that the arena PA announcer would announce the time left on the clock at five second intervals in real time. Issy Ronald, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 The new device is a kind of frequency comb—a specialized laser that generates multiple wavelengths of light, each at a regular frequency interval. IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2024 Stir and continue cooking in 2-minute intervals, stirring after each interval, until potatoes are golden, about 15 minutes total. Emily Nabors Hall, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2024 The poll was conducted between March 2-5 and has a credibility interval of plus or minus 4.2%. The Indianapolis Star, 7 Mar. 2024 Slok’s report featured a bar chart showing the median PE multiple for the 10 most valuable U.S. companies at 5 year intervals from 1990 to 2020, and as of late February 2024, as well as displaying the overall numbers for the S&P 500, and the index excluding the top ten. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 Yet some might have seen the weather forecast and decided on spending their afternoon elsewhere in one of Europe's cultural capitals, and there were spells of the game were those in situ left their seats to take cover through intervals of heavy rain. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'interval.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English intervalle, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French entreval, from Latin intervallum space between ramparts, interval, from inter- + vallum rampart — more at wall

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of interval was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near interval

Cite this Entry

“Interval.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interval. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

interval

noun
in·​ter·​val ˈint-ər-vəl How to pronounce interval (audio)
1
: a period of time between events or states : pause
a three-month interval
the interval between elections
2
: a space between things
the interval between two desks
3
: difference in pitch between tones

Medical Definition

interval

noun
in·​ter·​val ˈint-ər-vəl How to pronounce interval (audio)
: a space of time between events or states
intervals between pregnancies

More from Merriam-Webster on interval

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