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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disrupt
The Pacers, too, sent wave after wave of bigger stronger guards to push Brunson off his spots and disrupt the Knicks’ flow.
—
Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2026
At a time when Waymo’s impressive success and the advent of AI have rekindled excitement about everything driverless, Monarch’s failure to disrupt has become another cautionary tale about massive bets on the latest tech.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
But the eruption disrupted their economy and weakened their influence.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Uruguay's preparation for the opener was disrupted by travel delays, though Bielsa downplayed concerns about the impact on the team.
—Sergio Candido, CBS News, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2026
At a time when Waymo’s impressive success and the advent of AI have rekindled excitement about everything driverless, Monarch’s failure to disrupt has become another cautionary tale about massive bets on the latest tech.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
But the eruption disrupted their economy and weakened their influence.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Uruguay's preparation for the opener was disrupted by travel delays, though Bielsa downplayed concerns about the impact on the team.
—Sergio Candido, CBS News, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupt
Verb
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The Cubs were in first place After consecutive 83-win seasons, the Cubs pushed their chips into the middle of the table, swinging a trade for Kyle Tucker, signing Matthew Boyd and Carson Kelly in free agency and opening up a lane for then-top prospect Matt Shaw to break camp with the club.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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Let’s break it down by the jobs, which are numbered according to descending tear-off sheets on the contestants’ work stations.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
Verb
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For best results, apply with a damp beauty sponge using a stippling motion rather than sweeping strokes, which can disturb coverage and leave streaks.—
Jailynn Taylor,
Allure,
13 June 2026
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Stray electric and magnetic fields that can slightly disturb electrons have far less influence on the nucleus.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
13 June 2026
Verb
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If the alliance continues to fracture, what might NATO look like a few years from now?—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
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As in the Assembly on Monday, Republicans spoke vehemently against the taxes but had little chance at fracturing the Democrat supermajority.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Some women who filed lawsuits against Ortega reported they had been confused about whether demeaning or uncomfortable actions the doctor engaged in during exams was within the bounds of necessary medical behavior.—
Emily Hoerner,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
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Cancers can release this protein into the tumor microenvironment, where the molecule attaches to the T cells and change their ability to communicate with other cells, confusing the T cells and restricting their ability to survive and kill cancer.—
Charles J. Dimitroff,
The Conversation,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
14 June 2026
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Terminix utilizes the advanced Sentricon baiting system alongside traditional liquid barriers to destroy subterranean colonies entirely.—
Nick Perry,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Manager John Schneider is now forced to shuffle players like Andrés Gimenez and Ernie Clement at shortstop, often platooning Gimenez, and inserting lesser hitters at second base.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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After about 10 minutes of sitting frozen in place, the seven-year-old shuffled out of the room with his mother, sister and grandmother.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The coronavirus vaccine reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events linked to covid-19 — strokes, heart attacks, and hospitalization from heart disease — by about 40 percent, according to a new study.—
Daniel Wu,
Washington Post,
16 June 2026
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Fox would take on $8 million in debt to pay for the Roku acquisition, and the companies expect to reduce combined expenses by $400 million.—
Scharon Harding,
ArsTechnica,
15 June 2026
Verb
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But if records are missing, disorganized, or affected by fraud, recovering customer assets may require additional investigation and legal action.—
Karl Montevirgen,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 May 2026
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The total number of ADF militants in the DRC is unclear due to the organization’s loose and often disorganized nature.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disrupt. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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