disrupt

verb

dis·​rupt dis-ˈrəpt How to pronounce disrupt (audio)
disrupted; disrupting; disrupts

transitive verb

1
a
: to break apart : rupture
three periods of faulting disrupted the rocksUniversity of Arizona Record
b
: to throw into disorder
demonstrators trying to disrupt the meeting
2
a
: to interrupt the normal course or unity of
disrupted a bridge game by permanently hiding up the ace of spades …Scott Fitzgerald
b
business : to cause upheaval in (an industry, market, etc.)
The banking industry, on the other hand, is being disrupted by a breakdown of the model of paying money on deposits and taking interest on loans.Cromwell Schubarth
specifically : to successfully challenge (established businesses, products, or services) by using an innovation (such as a new technology or business model) to gain a foothold in a marginal or new segment of the market and then fundamentally changing the nature of the market
In contrast, the digital technologies that allowed personal computers to disrupt minicomputers improved much more quickly; Compaq was able to increase revenue more than tenfold and reach parity with the industry leader, DEC, in only 12 years. Clayton M. Christensen et al.
… this innovative service that might disrupt the industry comes at the low end of the product/service/technology, a place where these high-end consumers have neither interest nor experience. This low-end attack, which initially does not attract much attention, might grow to be a high quality service that supplants the incumbent. Eitan Muller
disrupter noun
or less commonly disruptor

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 Why This Matters Burnout and shortages have disrupted the clinical workforce; Bain & Company's US Clinician Burnout Survey reported nearly 1 in 4 clinicians (25%) surveyed are considering switching careers and 40% lack resources to operate at full potential. Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 Unfairly burdening poorer parts of the city: Council concerns detailed Before the conversation transitioned to how cooling centers could disrupt surrounding communities, councilmembers discussed the worker heat-safety ordinance underway and details about the respite centers. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 Such detours could add as much as a month in transit time, delaying the delivery of goods and further disrupting international commerce — a sector already grappling with the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, rising inflation and disruptions caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine. Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 But the war has disrupted her first year of school – the building was struck by bombardment in November, Hamouda told CNN. Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 The outage highlights how extensive people's reliance on technology has become and how an error based on something as trivial as a calendar date can upturn entire businesses and disrupt people's day. Scharon Harding, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2024 That Microsoft has now issued a patch for this vulnerability means, the Avast analysis says, that Lazarus’ offensive operations will undoubtedly be disrupted. Davey Winder, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 That approach has been criticized as problems at Spirit have disrupted production and delivery of popular Boeing jetliners including 737s and 787s. David Koenig, Quartz, 1 Mar. 2024 How climate change is disrupting California's storms Here’s a look at how humanity’s heating of the planet affects California’s storms, snowpack and more. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disrupt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin disruptus, past participle of disrumpere, from dis- + rumpere to break — more at reave

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of disrupt was in 1663

Dictionary Entries Near disrupt

Cite this Entry

“Disrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disrupt. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

disrupt

verb
dis·​rupt dis-ˈrəpt How to pronounce disrupt (audio)
: to throw into disorder
disrupted the class
disrupter noun
disruption noun
disruptive adjective
disruptively adverb
disruptiveness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on disrupt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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