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 colonial system has disrupted a lot, including our perception of ourselves and our food.
—
Osayi Endolyn, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 May 2025
Your sleep is disrupted at just about every phase of the child’s life, especially during the early stages.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 27 May 2025
Natural methods like vinegar, citrus, essential oils, and diatomaceous earth can disrupt or repel ants, though frequent reapplication is needed to keep them effective.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 25 May 2025
President Donald Trump has disrupted global trade and roiled markets in an effort to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Osayi Endolyn, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 May 2025
Your sleep is disrupted at just about every phase of the child’s life, especially during the early stages.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 27 May 2025
Natural methods like vinegar, citrus, essential oils, and diatomaceous earth can disrupt or repel ants, though frequent reapplication is needed to keep them effective.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 25 May 2025
President Donald Trump has disrupted global trade and roiled markets in an effort to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupt
Verb
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Kemp told police his car had been broken into and several items were stolen.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2025
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Lyons broke into an apartment in the Brittany Woods complex and shoved an officer over a piece of furniture while resisting arrest, police said.—
Dennis Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
Verb
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However, some 3,000 years ago—around the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age—newcomers to the area disturbed the burial site by removing parts of the mound and displacing stones.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
22 May 2025
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Solar flares can disturb Earth's ionosphere, for instance, briefly disrupting high-frequency radio signals and leading to brief radio blackouts on the daylit side of the planet during the flare event.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Brubaker fractured his ribs in spring training, and other injuries, including Tommy John surgery, have kept him out of the majors since 2022.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
18 May 2025
-
When a parent abuses a child, the experience can be too horrible to bear, so that what happens is that the core of the child’s identity gets fractured.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Also, this word et cetera at the end of the sentence confused me.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
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Weir was confused by the man’s unusual conviction, though.—
Louise Erdrich,
New Yorker,
25 May 2025
Verb
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The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea from a group of Native American activists and supporters to block a copper mining company from destroying an Apache religious site.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
27 May 2025
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During the week of my embed, the Russian military identified and destroyed a few of the Vampire pilots’ positions.—
Nataliya Gumenyuk,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Bemused tourists attempt to shuffle through the acrid red and blue flare smoke.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
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Deep in the bowels of State Farm Stadium, Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson and a group of his players shuffled into a concrete-walled space that had been converted into a makeshift press conference room.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Their original sentences, which were 12 years and seven years, respectively, were reduced in September 2023.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
28 May 2025
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With Bayern aiming to reduce their wage bill, the Wirtz signing would have come at the cost of at least an extra €20million (£16.8m, $22.7m) per year, on top of a transfer fee somewhere between €100m and €150m.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Within a year, the business is worse off—overextended, disorganized, and more stressed than before.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
7 May 2025
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Flights can be disrupted or disorganized, passengers can be grumpy and some of them even might smell.—
Arabella Hau,
People.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disrupt. Accessed 31 May. 2025.
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