1
as in to break
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
an earthquake that had disrupted the elevated highway in several places
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to disturb
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
the arrival of a baby in the household would totally disrupt their established routine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disrupt
The time change, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, could make daylight saving time difficult for some, disrupting sleep patterns for over 300 million people.
—
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
Kirk’s supporters, including a former staffer in the DeSantis administration, collected screenshots and tried to get people fired for disrupting their fake martyr narrative.
—Karen J. Leader, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
The war has disrupted international travel, and while flying to the Middle East right now is difficult due to airspace closures and the risk of airstrikes, supporters fear the women will be taken to a third country – perhaps China, Russia or Malaysia – before an onward journey to the Middle East.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
Analysts Northam spoke with say the conflict is disrupting the typically efficient shipping industry, causing delays that stress ports and could harm the market.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
Kirk’s supporters, including a former staffer in the DeSantis administration, collected screenshots and tried to get people fired for disrupting their fake martyr narrative.
—Karen J. Leader, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
The war has disrupted international travel, and while flying to the Middle East right now is difficult due to airspace closures and the risk of airstrikes, supporters fear the women will be taken to a third country – perhaps China, Russia or Malaysia – before an onward journey to the Middle East.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
Analysts Northam spoke with say the conflict is disrupting the typically efficient shipping industry, causing delays that stress ports and could harm the market.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupt
Verb
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If oil prices stay very high for very long, households' budgets already stretched by high inflation could break under the pressure.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
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Comfort battles formality fighting to break free.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So, changing your eating patterns can disturb it and affect blood sugar control.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
8 Mar. 2026
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Shuttle buses often pause to allow passengers to observe animals without disturbing them.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And yet Hezbollah’s choice to plunge the country into war has fractured the group, which is now facing backlash from its own supporters, and from the Lebanese government.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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And the fight over the SAVE America Act seems to be fracturing the GOP at the moment.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the fall of 2023, Yanxiao joined Tsinghua University, where his research confused professors who were accustomed to more conventional disciplinary lines.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
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But the notice sent last spring was so vague and confusing that few people used it to object.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The port has already planted acres of mangroves and sea grass and donated the land to the state of Florida to offset the habitat that would be destroyed during dredging.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
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The reasons for this cautious response are many, ranging from the precarious diplomatic implications of the conflict, disruptions to its energy security, and the embarrassing implications of allowing an ally to be destroyed.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Samson Fellows shuffled in his slippers to a small space heater and flicked it on.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
11 Mar. 2026
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The Green Bay Packers are doing some shuffling at cornerback by adding Benjamin St-Juste while informing Nate Hobbs of a plan to release him a year after signing him to the $48 million, four-year contract, according to two people with knowledge of the decisions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The thinking, according to airport officials, is to encourage riders to use the yet-to-open Automated People Mover, also known as Skylink, and to reduce vehicle traffic around the terminals.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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From the guest's POV, drinking water is provided in reusable glass bottles, with water refilling stations across the property, and restaurant ingredients are sourced from the nearby partner South Farm and local suppliers to reduce the carbon footprint and support the community.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Iran’s opposition, meanwhile, is disorganized and has little common vision for the country’s future beyond a desire to get rid of the clerics.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
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The closet is probably the easiest room to ignore when things get disorganized.—
Shea Simmons,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disrupt. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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