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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 But anything that disrupts the unfussy, uncomplicated energy of this adult drama would likely torpedo the whole enterprise. — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026 Stiltgrass spreads quickly, outcompetes native plants, and disrupts ecosystems by reducing biodiversity. — Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 9 Sep. 2026 Four families living near Meta’s Newton County data center are suing the tech giant, claiming the massive facility taints their drinking water and disrupts their daily lives. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 2 Sep. 2026 The tragedy of each character informs the thrill of the story, while another character, the gentleman caller, disrupts the family even further. — David John Chávez, Mercury News, 2 Sep. 2026 There’s no reputable research showing that dry cornstarch reliably disrupts ant pheromone trails in real-world garden conditions. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2026 Removable laces allow for the shoe to be styled in different ways, while Jennie’s creative point of view disrupts the heritage style. — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026 This Air sign is curious, fast-moving and willing to entertain multiple things at once, but the influence of the change-maker planet (Uranus) disrupts familiar patterns, introducing ideas that could seem slightly unconventional. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026 Montemayor told Campus Insights Media that alcohol disrupts rest at a biological level, fragmenting sleep into short bursts that leave a person feeling drained the following morning. — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupts

Verb

That means stress-testing a provider’s reliability before signing anything, not after something breaks.

— Nick Chandi, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Fortune Daily breaks the traditional barrier between audience and newsroom.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of breaks

Verb

That disturbs Masters, an auto mechanic who moved out of the mobile home park before the 2021 floods.

— Ren Larson, ProPublica, 2 Sep. 2026
Traffic between somebody else's router and somebody else's laptop, say in a random coffee shop or an airport, can provide the radio field that your body disturbs to create your specific signature.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of disturbs

Verb

The approval marks another step forward for patients with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare and progressive disease that destroys nerve cells that control speaking, breathing, and walking.

— Ed Silverman, STAT, 14 Sep. 2026
Among other things, Hinduism reveres femininity through the worship of powerful goddesses, including Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom; Kali, the goddess who destroys evil and ego; and Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of destroys

Verb

Over one tense weekend, old patterns and buried wounds surface in front of in-laws and guests, until the celebration fractures into a confrontation.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
Bookshelves were filled with actual paperwork and documents used by medical professionals, while even the hairline fractures visible on X-rays were created with the guidance of real-life practicing physicians.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of fractures

Verb

The line shuffles forward quickly, and my heart knots in my chest as Heartfillers are dosed to each person up ahead.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
In the clip, Dawkins shuffles out onto the field with no shirt, a pair of Crocs and a clear plastic bag ready to get the ol' inside-out treatment.

— Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of shuffles

Verb

Where appropriate, allowing patients to schedule routine appointments also reduces unnecessary back-and-forth with the practice.

— Ajay Prasad, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Rather than mine the archive wholesale, Icons reduces recognizable Borgo signatures to their foundations, preserving the rigor while shifting their expression.

— Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of reduces

Verb

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
None are quite about the conflicting frames of reference and value that arise when an ancient cultural formation disintegrates and a successor has yet to take its place.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026