disturb

verb dis·turb \ di-ˈstərb \

Definition of disturb

transitive verb

1 a :to interfere with :interrupt

disturbing the flow of traffic

b :to alter the position or arrangement of

the items on her desk had been disturbed

c :to upset the natural and especially the ecological balance or relations of

wetlands disturbed by development

2 a :to destroy the tranquility or composure of

The noisy lawnmower disturbed their sleep.

was disturbed by his bizarre behavior

b :to throw into disorder

disturbing our routine

c :alarm

trying not to disturb the sleeping dogs

d :to put to inconvenience

sorry to disturb you at such a late hour

intransitive verb

:to cause disturbance

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disturber

noun

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disturbingly

play \-ˈstər-biŋ-lē\ adverb

See disturb defined for English-language learners

See disturb defined for kids

Examples of disturb in a Sentence

I'm sorry to disturb you at such a late hour.
She doesn't want to be disturbed while she's working.
Don't disturb the baby when he's sleeping.
The noise disturbed my concentration.

Recent Examples of disturb from the Web

An Annapolis man, 22, was charged with fourth-degree burglary, resisting arrest, trespassing, disturbing the peace and destruction of property.

— Washington Post, "Crime report for Anne Arundel and Howard counties and for Annapolis," 30 Aug. 2017
That charge was dismissed last month in exchange for Curtiss pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace.

— john sowell, idahostatesman, "Patriot-group leader pulled gun on woman serving court summons. Now he’s apologized," 25 Aug. 2017
His soundbites left many observers, online and off, spanning the political spectrum, disturbed.

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "President Trump Thought His "Both Sides" Comments Were Totally Fine, Naturally," 17 Aug. 2017
The explosive allegation that the White House and Fox News coordinated a conspiracy theory about the murder of Seth Rich presents two disturbing yet widely accepted realities about the workings of the modern Republican Party.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Donald Trump Has Finally Erased the Line Between Conservatism and Conspiracy Theories," 1 Aug. 2017
Yet the findings Dr. Ann McKee has published in the Journal of the American Medical Association are deeply disturbing regardless of the study’s admitted selection bias.

— tim sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Sullivan: Brain damage remains football's greatest foe," 29 July 2017
But the movie works because of the quiet undercurrent of menace to the whole thing—the goofy, but still disturbing, idea that this gentle-seeming show was built to control James, and did too good a job.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Brigsby Bear Is a Clever Bit of Fake ’80s Nostalgia," 28 July 2017
The party also started to use pettier charges, such as disturbing public order, against its critics.

— The Economist, "Liu Xiaobo’s former comradesXi Jinping keeps hundreds in prison for peaceful dissent," 15 July 2017
The death of the 17-year-old student who was described as loving and caring disturbed the girls.

— jonece starr dunigan, AL.com, "From bullied teen to plus-sized fashion entrepreneur, Birmingham woman brings inclusion to the runway," 7 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disturb.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of disturb

Middle English disturben, destourben, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French destorber, from Latin disturbare, from dis- + turbare to throw into disorder, from turba disorder — more at turbid

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

disturb Synonyms

Synonyms

agitate, ail, alarm (also alarum), bother, concern, derail, discomfort, discompose, dismay, disquiet, distemper, distract, distress, exercise, flurry, frazzle, freak (out), fuss, hagride, perturb, undo, unhinge, unsettle, upset, weird out, worry

Antonyms

calm, compose, quiet, settle, soothe, tranquilize (also tranquillize)

Related Words

aggravate, anger, annoy, bug, chafe, chivy (or chivvy), exasperate, fret, gall, get, grate, harass, harry, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put off, put out, rile, vex; bedevil, haunt, plague; abash, confound, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, fluster, jar, mortify, nonplus, rattle, shake up; daunt, demoralize, discourage, dishearten, dispirit, unnerve

Near Antonyms

allay, alleviate, assuage; appease, conciliate, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate

Synonym Discussion of disturb

discompose, disquiet, disturb, perturb, agitate, upset, fluster mean to destroy capacity for collected thought or decisive action. discompose implies some degree of loss of self-control or self-confidence especially through emotional stress.

- discomposed by the loss of his beloved wife

disquiet suggests loss of sense of security or peace of mind.

- the disquieting news of factories closing

disturb implies interference with one's mental processes caused by worry, perplexity, or interruption.

- the discrepancy in accounts disturbed me

perturb implies deep disturbance of mind and emotions.

- perturbed by her husband's strange behavior

agitate suggests obvious external signs of nervous or emotional excitement.

- in his agitated state we could see he was unable to work

upset implies the disturbance of normal or habitual functioning by disappointment, distress, or grief.

- the family's constant bickering upsets the youngest child

fluster suggests bewildered agitation.

- his declaration of love completely flustered her

DISTURB Defined for English Language Learners

disturb

verb

Definition of disturb for English Language Learners

: to stop (someone) from working, sleeping, etc. : to interrupt or bother (someone or something)
: to worry or upset (someone)
: to change the position, arrangement, or order of (something)

DISTURB Defined for Kids

disturb

verb dis·turb \ di-ˈstərb \

Definition of disturb for Students

disturbed; disturbing

1 :to interfere with :interrupt

Don't disturb him while he's working.

2 :to change the position or arrangement of

3 :¹upset 1, worry

I am very disturbed by your behavior.

4 :to make confused or disordered

disturb the peace

Word Root of disturb

The Latin word turba, meaning “disorder,” gives us the root turb. Words from the Latin turba have something to do with disorder. To disturb is to cause disorder to something or to someone's feelings. To perturb, or trouble, is to cause disorder to someone's mind. Anything turbulent is in a state of violence or disorder.