interval
intervals
A clock breaks time down into intervals of seconds, minutes, and hours. An interval is a distinct measure of time or the physical or temporal distance between two things.
When you are driving down the highway at 60 mph, you'll see distance markers at intervals of .1 miles. That means that every 1/10th of a mile, you will see one of these markers. Do the math and you'll see that these signs flash by you at intervals of 6 seconds. If your coach tells you to try interval training, he is telling you to do something like run for three minutes, lift weights for two, then run again for three. If he tells you do this again and again, you might want to end this interval of your life.
Definitions of interval
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the distance between things
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synonyms:
separation
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a definite length of time marked off by two instants
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synonyms:
time interval
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types:
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access time
(computer science) the interval between the time data is requested by the system and the time the data is provided by the drive
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distance, space
the interval between two times
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embolism, intercalation
an insertion into a calendar
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seek time
(computer science) the time it takes for a read/write head to move to a specific data track
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time constant
(electronics) the time required for the current or voltage in a circuit to rise or fall exponentially through approximately 63 per cent of its amplitude
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slot, time slot
a time assigned on a schedule or agenda
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lunitidal interval
interval between the moon's transit of a particular meridian and the next high tide at that meridian
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absence
the time interval during which something or somebody is away
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break, intermission, interruption, pause, suspension
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
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interlude
an intervening period or episode
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interim, lag, meantime, meanwhile
the time between one event, process, or period and another
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latent period
the time that elapses before the presence of a disease is manifested by symptoms
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latency, latent period, reaction time, response time
the time that elapses between a stimulus and the response to it
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eternity
a seemingly endless time interval (waiting)
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cycle, rhythm, round
an interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs
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lead time
the time interval between the initiation and the completion of a production process
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period
the interval taken to complete one cycle of a regularly repeating phenomenon
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float
the time interval between the deposit of a check in a bank and its payment
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latency, rotational latency
(computer science) the time it takes for a specific block of data on a data track to rotate around to the read/write head
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processing time
the time it takes to complete a prescribed procedure
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track-to-track seek time
(computer science) the time it takes for a read/write head to move to an adjacent data track
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lapse
a break or intermission in the occurrence of something
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blackout
a suspension of radio or tv broadcasting
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caesura
a pause or interruption (as in a conversation)
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dead air
an inadvertent interruption in a broadcast during which there is no sound
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delay, hold, postponement, time lag, wait
time during which some action is awaited
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halftime
an intermission between the first and second half of a game
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entr'acte
the interlude between two acts of a play
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interregnum
the time between two reigns, governments, etc.
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relief, respite, rest, rest period
a pause for relaxation
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time-out
a brief suspension of play
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letup, lull
a pause during which things are calm or activities are diminished
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relaxation time
the time constant of an exponential return of a system to equilibrium after a disturbance
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orbit period
the time it takes to complete one full orbit around a celestial body
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command overhead, command processing overhead, command processing overhead time, overhead
(computer science) the processing time required by a device prior to the execution of a command
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the difference in pitch between two notes
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synonyms:
musical interval
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types:
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step, tone, whole step, whole tone
a musical interval of two semitones
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half step, semitone
the musical interval between adjacent keys on a keyboard instrument
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quarter tone, quarter-tone
half of a semitone
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musical octave, octave
a musical interval of eight tones
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third
the musical interval between one note and another three notes away from it
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fourth
the musical interval between one note and another four notes away from it
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fifth
the musical interval between one note and another five notes away from it
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sixth
the musical interval between one note and another six notes away from it
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seventh
the musical interval between one note and another seven notes away from it
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type of:
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musical notation
(music) notation used by musicians
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a set containing all points (or all real numbers) between two given endpoints
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types:
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bounded interval, closed interval
an interval that includes its endpoints
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open interval, unbounded interval
an interval that does not include its endpoints
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sub-interval
an interval that is included in another interval
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type of:
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set
(mathematics) an abstract collection of numbers or symbols
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bounded interval, closed interval
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘interval'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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