Definition of "interrupter" [in•ter•rupt•er]

• One that interrupts: an inveterate interrupter of other people's conversations. (noun)
• Electronics A device that periodically and automatically opens and closes an electric circuit, producing pulses. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "One of his famous inventions was to devise a synchronization device (known as the interrupter gear) that allowed machine guns to fire directly through the propeller."
• "Improving on Garros’ idea, Fokker’s team designed a system known as the interrupter gear that synchronized the action, allowing bullets to pass between the propeller blades without striking them."
• "A government source told The Chronicle Herald the province is going to lower prices at the pumps by using the so-called interrupter clause Tuesday at midnight."