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
Cable cuts in the Red Sea briefly disrupted Microsoft’s Azure service.
—
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
The airport completely shut down in March following a fire in an electrical substation a few miles away, which disrupted the local power supply, throwing more than 1,000 flights into disarray and forcing pilots to divert their journeys in midair.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
The body's balance of salts, acids and blood sugar is also disrupted, causing damage to organs.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025
But because oxygen disrupts anaerobic respiration, many researchers assumed that cells couldn’t grow while using both processes at the same time.
—Jake Buehler, Wired News, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
The airport completely shut down in March following a fire in an electrical substation a few miles away, which disrupted the local power supply, throwing more than 1,000 flights into disarray and forcing pilots to divert their journeys in midair.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
The body's balance of salts, acids and blood sugar is also disrupted, causing damage to organs.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025
But because oxygen disrupts anaerobic respiration, many researchers assumed that cells couldn’t grow while using both processes at the same time.
—Jake Buehler, Wired News, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupt
Verb
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Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Sep. 2025
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The new 12-night journey will launch in the summer of 2027 aboard the company's ice-breaking Le Commandant Charcot ship and is purposely designed to meet demand for a shorter cruise that still celebrates polar exploration, Ponant shared with Travel + Leisure.—
Katie Nadworny,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There’s a certain freedom not having social media available from your app launcher, knowing you won’t get disturbed on this device, but are still able to sit back with a good book, some light jazz, and… not much else.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Unfollow accounts that regularly share disturbing images.—
Annie Margaret,
The Conversation,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Laura is frantic about saving Daniel after learning Cherry pushed her father from a construction site, fracturing his spine in two places.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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But as his grip on reality begins to fracture, the recording session spirals out of control.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Yes, God confuses the language and scatters everyone, thereby creating linguistic and cultural diversity.—
John Fugelsang
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
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At one point, O’Steen was confused by a question, and the resulting back-and-forth was reminiscent of an Abbott and Costello repartee.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some are value-destroying black holes; others are relentless value creators.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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The first instance of NATO nations downing drones came last week, when Polish and Dutch fighters destroyed three Russian drones over Poland.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Young Hamnet’s shuffling off this mortal coil once laid the groundwork for a masterpiece.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
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Shelters that shuffle people in and out overnight don’t solve anything.—
Stephan Rabimov,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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His team accused Whatley of distorting the facts to cover for his support of federal policies that reduced funding for local police.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
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Valentino has been streamlining its wholesale channel, reduced by about 20 percent in 2024, a strategy that continued in 2025 and that is expected to impact its year-end performance.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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They were disorganized and inefficient, their battles had been going poorly, and their leadership suffered from corruption and distrust.—
Kevin Kruse,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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In high school, she was disorganized and distracted.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disrupt. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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