How to Use abrupt in a Sentence

abrupt

adjective
Definition of abruptnext
Synonyms for abruptnext
  • The road came to an abrupt end.
  • There was an abrupt change in the weather.
  • The storm caused an abrupt power failure.
  • She has an abrupt manner.
  • All forms of transportation come to an abrupt halt, everywhere, all at once.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 21 June 2022
  • But first: Big, abrupt change doesn’t happen that often in this country.
    — Mark Murray, NBC News, 27 June 2022
  • The sinuous curve of the road along the Gardner River came to abrupt and jagged endings at several intervals.
    — Fox News, 17 June 2022
  • About a year later, their romance came to an abrupt halt when the Navy sent Mann back to the United States sooner than expected.
    — Sydney Page, Washington Post, 15 June 2022
  • The Fed’s three-quarter%age point increase in its benchmark lending rate this week marked an abrupt end to more than four decades of falling, and ultimately near-zero, interest rates.
    — David J. Lynch, Anchorage Daily News, 20 June 2022
  • Homeowners who paid into policies with the same insurer for decades are justifiably angry about their abrupt abandonment by home insurance companies.
    — Carmen Balber, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2025
  • After two wet winters fueled the growth of grasses and brush — ideal kindling for fires — across SoCal mountains and hillsides, the last few months saw an abrupt shift to record-dry conditions.
    — Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
  • The tweet about Trump put an abrupt halt to her career high.
    — Wendy Kaur, ELLE, 28 Oct. 2022
  • The sudden shifts in time are abrupt and sometimes hard to track.
    — Charles McNultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2022
  • The abrupt spell — like one at the U.S. Capitol in July — happened in front of the cameras.
    — Neil Vigdor, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2023
  • Primo’s season came to an abrupt end when he was waived by the Spurs on Oct. 28.
    — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 11 Apr. 2023
  • This is an abrupt change from the past two years of wet monsoons that brought record-breaking rain to the state.
    — Fernando Cervantes Jr., The Arizona Republic, 15 June 2023
  • During an abrupt stop, Cox was thrown headfirst into the back wall of the van.
    — Deena Zaru, ABC News, 8 June 2023
  • That abrupt change is a clear symptom that something is wrong.
    — Nicole Wetsman, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2023
  • The change will be abrupt after the warm and sunny spell over the holiday.
    — Michelle Apon, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Feb. 2023
  • Many passengers had already left the plane when the tail took an abrupt dip.
    — Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 23 Oct. 2023
  • If a major fire came through, abrupt changes in the types of pollen in the sediment would give it away.
    — Jason McLachlan, The Conversation, 27 July 2022
  • The longest North drive by yardage was the 59-yard drive that concluded with the game’s abrupt ending.
    — Zion Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 15 July 2023
  • But the influx of artifacts could come to an abrupt end one day.
    — Rick Noack, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Nov. 2022
  • The decision that this will be the final season was abrupt.
    — Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 June 2023
  • Lexie Hull’s whirlwind of a year came to an abrupt halt in Seattle.
    — Wilson Moore, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Aug. 2022
  • The shooting was an abrupt end to the whirlwind life of one of the rap world’s most polarizing artists.
    — Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2023
  • An abrupt reversal that's likely to send the case to trial.
    — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2023
  • Following his abrupt firing, Gillis was tapped as host of the Feb. 24 show.
    — Jessica Wang, EW.com, 16 Sep. 2024
  • Guthrie famously was offered the job in 2012 following the abrupt departure of Ann Curry.
    — Gil MacIas, People.com, 19 Jan. 2025
  • The abrupt reinstatement of TikTok is likely to prove something of a disappointing blow to its rivals.
    — Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025

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

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