disruption

noun

dis·​rup·​tion dis-ˈrəp-shən 

plural disruptions

: the act or process of disrupting something : a break or interruption in the normal course or continuation of some activity, process, etc.

disruption of sleep

disruptions in service

a process that has continued without disruption

Throughout the history of medicine, health has been seen as a condition of equilibrium and illness as the disruption of a balanced state.

—David Mechanic

By 1925 most countries had recovered from the economic disruptions caused by the Great War of 1914-18.

—John A. Garraty

Synonyms

• derangement
• dislocation
• disturbance
• upset

Examples of disruption in a Sentence

the flat tire resulted in an unfortunate disruption of the schedule for our road trip

Recent Examples on the Web

And so, look, obviously there's been some disruption. —ABC News, 4 May 2025

Massive flocks of passenger pigeons, which had once numbered in the billions, were wiped out due to overhunting, habitat destruction and the disruption of their migratory patterns. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025

What Yale New Haven Health is doing Yale New Haven Health brought in cybersecurity firm Mandiant to assist with the investigation and said a rapid response helped contain the incident and prevent any disruption to patient care. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 May 2025

And throwing sand into that growth engine can cause major disruptions. —Samantha Waldenberg, CNN Money, 2 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for disruption

• corruption
• eruption
• irruption
• incorruption
• interruption

Medical Definition

disruption

noun

dis·​rup·​tion dis-ˈrəp-shən 

: the act or process of breaking apart or rupturing

bandaged her leg tightly to prevent disruption of the partly healed wound

disrupt

dis-ˈrəpt 

transitive verb