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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Vic and Cali hadn’t wanted a wedding, but this had disturbed Vic’s parents.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
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Two players take on the roles of a brother and sister who are searching for their missing buddies on an island inhabited by some rather disturbing monsters.—
Joshua Lamb,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The United dressing room was said to be toxic and fractured when Mourinho departed, with Solskjaer would be the man to repair it.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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By the eve of the Civil War, pro-slavery Southerners had even fractured the Democratic Party, which had long done their bidding.—
Time,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This decision could confuse your friends.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
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The season ended with the two attending a sleepover at Cody's house after his mom confused Beavis and Butt-Head with her son's friends.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Acosta allowed it, and IMG destroyed them.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Later, Howard calls Matt and agrees to cut the sequence but also threatens to destroy him.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
7 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 11 Sep. 2025.
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