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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disrupt
The advancing hot, dry air is actually heavier than muggy air, and this dry air pushes the moist air upward, disrupting the cap.
—
Perry Samson, The Conversation, 23 Mar. 2026
Gas prices are likely to remain elevated for some time, even if the war ends soon, because shipping and production have been disrupted and will take time to recover.
—Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2026
First, the war in Iran disrupts the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, raising the already high input prices for gas and fertilizer.
—Anthony Pahnke, Boston Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
Chefs, farmers, and small business owners gathered to discuss how climate change is disrupting local food systems and straining both restaurant budgets and household grocery bills.
—Hannah McIlree, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Perry Samson, The Conversation, 23 Mar. 2026
Gas prices are likely to remain elevated for some time, even if the war ends soon, because shipping and production have been disrupted and will take time to recover.
—Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2026
First, the war in Iran disrupts the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, raising the already high input prices for gas and fertilizer.
—Anthony Pahnke, Boston Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
Chefs, farmers, and small business owners gathered to discuss how climate change is disrupting local food systems and straining both restaurant budgets and household grocery bills.
—Hannah McIlree, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupt
Verb
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Oxygen cylinders on the vehicles exploded, breaking windows in an adjacent apartment block.—
KRUTIKA PATHI,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
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Chhabra did not break his stride.—
Taran Khan,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The charges include alleged activity on social media, sending content to foreign media outlets, espionage and disturbing public order, HRANA said before adding that its count was based on official reports.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
19 Mar. 2026
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Some philosophical discussions are lost but some necessarily disturbing physical moments are kept.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Iran war is poised to continue fracturing right-wing media.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
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With the top two vote-getters regardless of political party set to move onto the November election, Democrats have worried that their candidates will fracture the vote enough that Hilton and Bianco will capture both spots.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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According to Baumgartner, the decision stemmed from network concerns that the gag could confuse viewers or suggest a storyline involving Kevin.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
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The city checks for duplicate names, similar-sounding names, spelling conflicts, and anything that could slow down or confuse an emergency response.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of his top aides, Saeed Ghasseminejad, has identified in interviews and on social media critical oil and gas infrastructure that could be destroyed in the war.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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But a staggering series of misfortunes – an arsonist destroyed her rental house; the private equity firm that owned the house still demanded two months’ rent and kept her security deposit; she was diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer – forced her into tenuous housing situations.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Stewart eventually shuffled out, commenting on how his bedhead resembled Little Richard’s.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
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So what better way to cap all that off than closing out the Oscars — even if the clip played while the audience was shuffling out of the theater and calling their Ubers.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned environments.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
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Gold has been one of the better-performing assets over the past year, and when markets get choppy, leveraged funds and institutional investors tend to reduce exposure.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That these issues are now coming to light is indicative of a planning process that — in typical Dallas fashion — has been disorganized, rushed and lacking in transparency from its inception.—
Mark Lamster
Architecture Critic,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
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Case in point: The Knicks were disorganized offensively, to say the least, to start the first quarter but hung tough with their defense long enough for Jalen Brunson to erupt for one of his signature early outbursts.—
Kristian Winfield,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disrupt. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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