Definition of disrupt
transitive verb
1a : to break apart : rupture three periods of faulting disrupted the rocks — University of Arizona Recordb : to throw into disorder demonstrators trying to disrupt the meeting
2 : to interrupt the normal course or unity of … disrupted a bridge game by permanently hiding up the ace of spades … — Scott Fitzgerald can disrupt an industry with new technology
disrupter
noundisruptively
adverbdisruptiveness
nounRead the Latest from M-W
Examples of disrupt in a Sentence
The barking dogs disrupted my sleep.
The weather disrupted our travel plans.
a chemical that disrupts cell function
Recent Examples of disrupt from the Web
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Moreover, plots by solitary actors are more difficult to detect and disrupt, and the number of potential volunteers can be vastly larger, compared to trained terrorist cadres in sleeper cells.
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One of the goals of gradually unwinding the balance sheet would be to not disrupt broader economic growth despite the possibility of rising long-term rates.
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It disrupts the lives of blue and other giant whales, forcing them to abandon their habitats and increasing the risk of calves being separated from their mothers.
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In order to fill these jobs, without disrupting production, there is a new attitude in human resources departments.
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Teams sometimes don’t want to disrupt draft preparation.
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FedEx Corp. says the attack on its TNT Express unit was significant, disrupting operations, but its other businesses were not hit.
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Two Japanese workers died, neighboring towns were contaminated with radiation, and industries essential to the region’s economy were disrupted.
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While China has a travel blacklist for plane passengers who disrupt flights in this matter, at least the old woman wasn't dragged off the plane.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disrupt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of disrupt
Latin disruptus, past participle of disrumpere, from dis- + rumpere to break — more at reave
DISRUPT Defined for English Language Learners
disrupt
playDefinition of disrupt for English Language Learners
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: to cause (something) to be unable to continue in the normal way : to interrupt the normal progress or activity of (something)
DISRUPT Defined for Kids
disrupt
playDefinition of disrupt for Students
disrupted
;disrupting
1 : to cause disorder in disrupted the class
2 : to interrupt the normal course of Barking dogs disrupted my sleep.
disruption
\dis-ˈrəp-shən\ noundisruptive
\-ˈrəp-tiv\ adjectiveLearn More about disrupt
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See words that rhyme with disrupt Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for disrupt Spanish Central: Translation of disrupt Nglish: Translation of disrupt for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of disrupt for Arabic speakers
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