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# interval

«interval» in Mova's school dictionary: **a period of time between two events** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (an interval, intervals)

### meaning for a pupil

1) An interval is a period of time between two events. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/#m1)

2) An interval is a space or gap between two things or points. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/#m2)

3) In the UK, an interval is a short break in the middle of a play, concert or show (an intermission in the US). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/#m3)

4) In maths, an interval is the range of numbers between two values, or the step between marks on a scale. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In maths, a number line or graph axis is marked at equal intervals (for example every 5); in data handling, class intervals group results (10–19, 20–29). In science and everyday life, «at regular intervals» means again and again with the same gap, like buses every ten minutes. In music, an interval is the gap between two notes. Phrases: at intervals, at regular intervals, in the interval, sunny intervals.

### examples

- Buses leave at intervals of fifteen minutes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/#x1)
- Mark the number line at intervals of ten. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/#x2)
- We had ice cream in the interval of the play. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/#x3)
- Plant the seeds at intervals of 20 centimetres. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/#x4)
- The weather forecast says rain with sunny intervals. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/#x5)
- Take the medicine at regular intervals. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/#x6)
- There was a short interval between the thunder and the lightning. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/#x7)
- These races, like the Olympic Games, were celebrated at intervals of four years, and were called Herae. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/#x8)

### note

Countable: intervals («an» before the vowel). Fence-post trap in maths: a line from 0 to 50 marked every 10 has 5 intervals but 6 marks. If buses leave every 10 minutes from the first bus, count the gaps carefully.

### In the corpora

- [Badger «nodded gravely at intervals as the animals told their story», and did not seem surprised or shocked at anything.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/37-willows-ch4-part1-mr-badger/23/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «interval» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/interval/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.