ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Interrupt

An interrupt is like a sign that tells your computer that something needs it's attention. For example, when you press a key on the keyboard or move your mouse the computer getting an interrupt to tell it, "Hey! Someone is trying to use the keyboard or mouse, so you need to stop what you're doing and pay attention to what they want!" Interrupts are really helpful because they allow the computer to respond quickly to things you want it to do.