disrupt

verb

dis·rupt | \ dis-ˈrəpt

Definition of disrupt

1a : to break apart : rupture three periods of faulting disrupted the rocks —University of Arizona Record

b : 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

Other Words from disrupt Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about disrupt

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Other words from disrupt

disrupter also disruptor noun

disruption \-ˈrəp-shən

\ noun

disruptive \-ˈrəp-tiv

\ adjective

disruptively adverb

disruptiveness noun

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 on the Web

Lionel Messi could not disrupt its serenity; nor could Luis Suárez; now Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku have failed, too. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "France, With Flash to Spare, Reaches the World Cup Final," 11 July 2018 But disrupting markets to keep obsolete 20th century power plants running... not so much. — Don Santa, Houston Chronicle, "Commentary: Administration’s action on coal, nuclear solves a problem that doesn’t exist," 5 July 2018 Like an anti-sunblock, chemicals in its juices disrupt your skin’s ability to filter out harmful UV rays. — Megan Molteni, WIRED, "This Giant Invasive Flower Can Give You Third-Degree Burns," 3 July 2018 Those campus networks, as they are called, are not easily disrupted by newer technologies like cloud computing; even ardent fans of such services need boxes to connect users to the web. — New York Times, "Cisco Chief Executive’s New Mantra: Simplify Computer Networks," 10 July 2018 Big manufacturers are worried their supply chains will be disrupted if new controls are erected at the U.K.-EU border. — Stephen Fidler, WSJ, "Cabinet Clash Only First Test for U.K.’s New Brexit Strategy," 10 July 2018 Such organizations had assimilationist goals and preferred to work alongside of existing institutions rather than disrupt them. — Sascha Cohen, Smithsonian, "How Gay Activists Challenged the Politics of Civility," 10 July 2018 Other options include selling U.S. government debt or disrupting diplomatic efforts over North Korea, though those might hurt Beijing’s interests. — San Antonio Express-News, "China’s options to hit US go beyond imports," 9 July 2018 The latest administration action could disrupt the Affordable Care Act, the health care law that has withstood President Donald Trump’s efforts to repeal it completely. — NBC News, "Trump administration takes another swipe at Obamacare," 9 July 2018

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.