1
as in to break
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
an earthquake that had disrupted the elevated highway in several places
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to disturb
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
the arrival of a baby in the household would totally disrupt their established routine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disrupt
The incidents forced several airports to temporarily close and disrupted travel for tens of thousands of people.
—
Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
The exact mechanism by which these antibiotics disrupt the armor and ultimately kill the bacterial cell has remained unclear for a long time.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
In addition to seeding customers that were cloud-first, AWS started to disrupt the traditional data warehouse market.
—Chris Degnan, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Their offense is humming, ranking in the top 5 in scoring, and with key injuries on the Rams' offensive line, Indianapolis will look to exploit those gaps and disrupt Matthew Stafford's timing.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
The exact mechanism by which these antibiotics disrupt the armor and ultimately kill the bacterial cell has remained unclear for a long time.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
In addition to seeding customers that were cloud-first, AWS started to disrupt the traditional data warehouse market.
—Chris Degnan, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Their offense is humming, ranking in the top 5 in scoring, and with key injuries on the Rams' offensive line, Indianapolis will look to exploit those gaps and disrupt Matthew Stafford's timing.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupt
Verb
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Neither opponent would win again, as if Beckett had broken their spirit.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Beyond breaking records in sales and attendance, the residency emerged as one of the most powerful economic and cultural catalysts the island has seen.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Leaf blowers of any kind may disturb wildlife habitat and contribute to soil erosion by removing organic matter and exposing the top layer of soil.—
Luke Miller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Sep. 2025
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Part of the controversy appears to have related to the fact that the carpet covered tile that, if disturbed, could expose children to asbestos.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Faced with such a stark divide, families can fracture, friendships may fade and communities sometimes close their doors.—
Beatrice Peterson,
ABC News,
24 Sep. 2025
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There is even more incentive to bring him back after Ozzie Albies fractured his left hamate bone.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By bridging cutting-edge research with accessible, actionable advice, this book fills a critical gap in the menopause conversation — one that has left millions of women confused, underserved and unheard.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
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Others commented on the eeriness of discovering unfamiliar images in one’s personal gallery and the realization of how default app settings can confuse or alarm users.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a five-floor apartment building in the Solomyanskyi district was partially destroyed and caught fire.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
28 Sep. 2025
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Mexico built a hydroelectric dam, where these golden barrel cactuses live and in an instant their environment was destroyed and this species was almost wiped out.—
Eyder Peralta,
NPR,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cooper, an alum of Ralph Lauren and the former creative director of Ash NYC, plans to rotate the displays weekly, mixing in vintage furniture from his studio’s collection and shuffling the assortment so regulars will always find something new.—
Sydney Gore,
Architectural Digest,
29 Sep. 2025
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Typically, at this time, nearly 20 minutes after a game, players are shuffling in and out.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To reduce the risk of mosquito bites and West Nile virus, health officials recommend using insect repellent and wearing long sleeves and long pants when outdoors, especially during peak mosquito activity at dawn and dusk.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
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Autos Are an Economic Anchor China’s bold move into electric vehicles began in 2009 as a top-down policy to compete with foreign automakers, cut air pollution and reduce oil imports.—
Rebecca A. Fannin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But it was criticized for being disorganized and too dependent on men forced into service.—
Meredith Oyen,
The Conversation,
2 Sep. 2025
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They were disorganized and inefficient, their battles had been going poorly, and their leadership suffered from corruption and distrust.—
Kevin Kruse,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disrupt. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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