intermit
LowFormal, literary, technical
Definition
Meaning
to stop or pause for a time; to cease temporarily
To suspend or discontinue an activity, process, or condition with the intention of resuming it later; to occur at intervals with breaks in between.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often implies a planned or natural interruption, not a permanent cessation. Suggests a rhythmic or periodic quality. More common in its adjective form 'intermittent'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. The word is equally rare in both varieties.
Connotations
Slightly more literary/archaic feel in both varieties.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in both corpora. The adjective 'intermittent' is far more common.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] intermits[Subject] intermits [Object]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None specific to 'intermit'”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Might appear in formal reports: 'The board voted to intermit dividend payments for the next two quarters.'
Academic
Found in medical, scientific, or historical texts: 'The patient's seizures intermit for weeks at a time.'
Everyday
Virtually never used in casual conversation.
Technical
Used in medicine (symptoms), meteorology (precipitation), engineering (processes).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The rain showed no sign of intermitting, so the cricket match was abandoned.
- He was advised to intermit his studies due to ill health.
American English
- The pain may intermit for days before returning.
- The factory will intermit production during the holiday week.
adverb
British English
- N/A (The adverbial form is 'intermittently')
American English
- N/A (The adverbial form is 'intermittently')
adjective
British English
- N/A (The adjective form is 'intermittent')
American English
- N/A (The adjective form is 'intermittent')
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The old machine's noise would intermit every few minutes.
- His cough began to intermit after taking the medicine.
- The council decided to intermit the roadworks during the summer festival.
- Symptoms of the disease can intermit for months, giving a false sense of recovery.
- The general ordered his troops to intermit their bombardment at dawn.
- Scholars sometimes intermit their research to gain a fresh perspective.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of INTERMIT as INTERRUPT + PERMIT a break. It's like giving permission for an interruption.
Conceptual Metaphor
ACTIVITY IS A FLUID STREAM (that can be temporarily dammed).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'прерывать' in its permanent sense. 'Intermit' always implies a temporary stop. Closer to 'приостанавливать', 'делать перерыв'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it to mean 'stop permanently'.
- Confusing it with 'intermittent' (adj.) in sentence structure.
- Using it in informal contexts where 'stop', 'pause', or 'take a break' is more natural.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'intermit' correctly?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a low-frequency, formal word. Its adjective form 'intermittent' is far more common.
'Intermit' implies a temporary cessation, often of a natural or periodic process, with an expectation of resumption. 'Interrupt' is broader, meaning to break the continuity of any process, often abruptly and from an external cause, with no inherent promise of resumption.
It would sound very formal or old-fashioned. In everyday contexts, words like 'pause', 'stop', 'let up', or 'take a break' are used instead.
The direct noun is 'intermission', though it is now almost exclusively used for a break in a play or concert. 'Intermittance' is an obsolete noun form.