1
as in breaks
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 disturbs
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 disrupts
The condition disrupts the production of CoQ10, a molecule essential for generating energy inside cells, leading to rapid neurological decline and loss of mobility.
—
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Jan. 2026
In other words, alcohol disrupts hydration, irritates the gut, inflames blood vessels, messes with sleep, and forces your liver into metabolic overdrive.
—Ciara Lucas, SELF, 30 Dec. 2025
Some survivors face more than six trial postponements, the charity says, adding that this process disrupts lives and is so difficult that many survivors pull out of their trials entirely.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
Teenagers and adults, while less likely to die, can experience weeks of debilitating coughing that disrupts school, work, and daily life, says Nachman.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Doctors eventually determined his seizure was caused by a brain arteriovenous malformation, a dangerous tangle of blood vessels that disrupts normal blood flow.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2025
The art of movies, and the acting styles therein, has developed in a 24 fps world, and messing with it disrupts the illusion.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
This happens because a lack of input disrupts synapse formation in the brain's primary visual cortex, weakening vision in that eye.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 19 Dec. 2025
Schools can request waivers if the rule disrupts pick-ups or drop-offs.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Jan. 2026
In other words, alcohol disrupts hydration, irritates the gut, inflames blood vessels, messes with sleep, and forces your liver into metabolic overdrive.
—Ciara Lucas, SELF, 30 Dec. 2025
Some survivors face more than six trial postponements, the charity says, adding that this process disrupts lives and is so difficult that many survivors pull out of their trials entirely.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
Teenagers and adults, while less likely to die, can experience weeks of debilitating coughing that disrupts school, work, and daily life, says Nachman.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Doctors eventually determined his seizure was caused by a brain arteriovenous malformation, a dangerous tangle of blood vessels that disrupts normal blood flow.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2025
The art of movies, and the acting styles therein, has developed in a 24 fps world, and messing with it disrupts the illusion.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
This happens because a lack of input disrupts synapse formation in the brain's primary visual cortex, weakening vision in that eye.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 19 Dec. 2025
Schools can request waivers if the rule disrupts pick-ups or drop-offs.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupts
Verb
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Soon after, a desperate man named Boomba, who witnessed Ma stealing from the shelter, breaks into her home and swipes her food, her phone, and a purse containing her family’s invaluable travel documents.—
Tope Folarin,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
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Director Dan Trachtenberg breaks it down for us.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Another possibility is that there is a relic magnetic field that exists between galaxies which remains from the early universe and disturbs low-energy gamma-rays.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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The water is perfectly clear — until someone brushes the side of the cave or disturbs the soft bottom, sending fine silt particles billowing into the beam of a headlamp.—
Jennifer Walker,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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One such affliction is Tay-Sachs, a disease that disproportionately affects people of Ashkenazi descent and destroys brain and spinal nerve cells.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Nov. 2025
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The movie follows a similar arc, with an additional subplot in which the creature destroys the city while under the influence of a powerful demon.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Red Rising is a book that seems to confuses some politically right-leaning readers, something which frustrates but doesn’t surprise Abughazaleh.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
19 Dec. 2025
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Mars’ clash with Neptune clouds your judgment and confuses your intuition.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
14 Dec. 2025
Verb
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These pressures could produce a tsunami that fractures the state’s fiscal foundation, self-inflicts a crisis ultimately demanding drastic cuts, and cripples its competitiveness.—
Andrew Rein,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
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The film’s emotional mirror — separation, misunderstanding, and the slow violence of misrepresentation — fractures its political one.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Nov. 2025
Verb
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That is not unique — Major League Baseball’s offseason shuffles along at a deliberate pace, just as the Dodgers historically have liked.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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In front of me, as various motors rev up to speed, the robot shuffles in place, looking like an arthritic boxer readying for a fight.—
James Vincent,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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This enables continuous charging and reduces the need for large onboard batteries.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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As a stocky playmaker who rarely sprints and often reduces the game to walking pace in an increasingly breakneck sport populated by iron men, Cherki’s timing of arrival into English football is where the dichotomy lies.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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,
2 Jan. 2026
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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.—
Doris Alvarez Cea,
Florida Times-Union,
2 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disrupts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disrupts. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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