DISRUPTS Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

disrupts

verb

present tense third-person singular of disrupt

as in breaks

to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly an earthquake that had disrupted the elevated highway in several places

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in disturbs

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of disrupts Alcohol disrupts sleep, but drinking earlier may give your body more time to process it before bedtime, reducing its impact on sleep quality. — Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 17 July 2026 What causes insomnia during perimenopause Perimenopause disrupts sleep through a combination of hormonal shifts that affect the body in overlapping ways. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 July 2026 But each closure upends hundreds of lives, disrupts communities, and raises hard questions for similarly situated institutions. — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 An aortic dissection occurs when there is a tear in the aorta, which disrupts the critical source of blood flow. — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 13 July 2026 Taken together, the deals show a company trying to remake itself from a Gulf oil producer into a global energy heavyweight — a push that looks more important than ever as the Iran war disrupts its home market. — semafor.com, 7 July 2026 The gardeners rake these in twice a day to keep the sand flies away—the insects lay their eggs in moist, undisturbed sand, so regularly turning it disrupts their breeding ground. — Ariel Leve, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026 Live Local also disrupts years of successful and careful planning by the city to promote compatible, consistent development in neighborhoods like Wynwood. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026 Sylvia Rhone was recognized as the Ultimate Icon at the 2026 BET Awards and delivered a powerful message about protecting creativity as tech disrupts the industry. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 28 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupts

Verb

The liver breaks cholesterol down through LDL receptors on the surface of liver cells, which means more LDL receptors means more cholesterol cleared from the blood.

— Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 July 2026
Paramount will be hoping that Nandy makes a statement either today or Wednesday, given Parliament breaks for the summer on Thursday and will not return until September 1, although Parliament does not have to be sitting for a decision to be made.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 15 July 2026

Definition of breaks

Verb

Tilling or plowing in the summer disturbs the soil's delicate ecosystem and exposes moist soil to rapid water loss.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 24 June 2026
The pier in Michigan City’s Washington Park disturbs the natural flow of sand along the lakeshore, creating new land east of the pier but starving beaches to the west, an erosion problem repeated by other manmade structures that jut out into Lake Michigan.

— Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026

Definition of disturbs

Verb

Ground-level testing often gets distorted by background emissions from surrounding soil and vegetation, while flying delicate sensors directly into corrosive plumes rapidly destroys the equipment.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026
Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a crass and charismatic oil executive who’s called upon to help save the world after his company nearly destroys it.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 13 July 2026

Definition of destroys

Verb

These opportunists drown out the core mission, creating a cacophony of competing voices that confuses donors, crowd the inboxes of CEOs and members of Congress with colliding petitions, and paralyzes meaningful action by draining critical funding and attention away from the truly effective groups.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026
But nobody confuses Harvard Extension School classes with the real thing.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 23 June 2026

Definition of confuses

Verb

As Catherine, the niece Eddie has raised as his own, falls in love with Rodolpho, Eddie’s protectiveness curdles into jealousy, setting him on a course toward an irreversible act of betrayal that fractures his family and his community.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 14 July 2026
And Mary’s electric, palpably physical pursuit of justice becomes even more crucial in the final act, after a grotesque display of performative mockery toward Māori culture fractures the last remnants of civility present amid one of Cole’s lavish-yet-repulsive gatherings.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 May 2026

Definition of fractures

Verb

As though on cue, Wardrobe — my beloved, and giant, closet — shuffles over from the corner of my room, the mahogany wood groaning with the effort.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026
As the entire Qatar back line shuffles closer to the goal, Jonathan David drops off towards the penalty spot to receive the cross in space and shoot first time.

— Mark Carey, New York Times, 24 June 2026

Definition of shuffles

Verb

The debris – space rocks known as meteoroids – collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA.

— Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 17 June 2026
Even those who can afford to stay suffer losses in home equity and lifestyle as the community around them disintegrates or disappears.

— The Conversation, Fortune, 12 June 2026