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 The Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually quiet this year because of a strong El Niño, which disrupts storm formation over that ocean. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026 The Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually quiet this year because of a strong El Niño, which disrupts storm formation over the Atlantic. — R.j. Rico, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 How bamboo blocks waves Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is unwanted noise or interference that disrupts electrical circuits. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026 The western coast is where the military campaign will be won or lost; as Iran disrupts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea has emerged as a vital strategic lifeline for the Gulf. — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026 This strategic waterway has become more important still as the war in Iran disrupts transit through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil has traditionally flowed. — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Oct. 2026 Supporters say changing the clocks disrupts sleep, increases workplace injuries and contributes to more road accidents. — Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026 These numbers complicate the picture of a state workforce unhappy with a new policy that some workers say disrupts their daily lives and question if returning to the office could bring health risks, longer commutes, lost time and higher gas costs. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026 The arrival of Alma, a real estate developer from Madrid who settles in Gazulea with her two daughters, disrupts the community’s life and sparks a conflict between the town’s future and the preservation of its roots. — Franchesca Guim, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupts

Verb

Walter Payton breaks Jim Brown’s career rushing mark of 12,312 yards and Brown’s career mark of 58 100-yard rushing games in a 20-7 victory over New Orleans.

— Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
As dawn breaks on Vijayadashami, the final rituals for the goddess Durga are performed and prayers are invoked.

— Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of breaks

Verb

Some of the sightings claim a man wearing clothing typical of the 17th or 18th centuries, a man dressed in Confederate attire in the liquor room, a ghost of a former worker Joseph Hardesty and a female who actively disturbs visitors to her home.

— Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Vibration disturbs the natural sediments in wine, flattening the flavor and aging it prematurely.

— Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of disturbs

Verb

Jains typically do not eat root vegetables because harvesting them destroys the whole plant and harms life-forms around it.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026
How IonQ cracked error correction Since making measurements of a qubit destroys its quantum state, researchers can only gather information about their syndromes to know if the qubit has accumulated an error or not.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of destroys

Verb

The legal system dehumanizes her, the support group confuses her, and one of her friends painfully disappoints her.

— Carey Purcell, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
This confuses each Nyota but also those around them, who note that the Nyotas have rather quickly assumed new hairstyles but also that neither is behaving quite like herself.

— Keith Phipps, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of confuses

Verb

As grief turns to accusation, Warmooge’s mother refuses burial without justice, and the village fractures under the weight of uncertainty and pressure to resolve the truth.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
This natural inversion destroys leadership, fractures relationships and halts self-improvement.

— Brendan Keegan, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of fractures

Verb

Automating classification while reserving human review for high-risk cases strengthens governance, improves compliance and reduces the risk of sensitive data exposure.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Northrop Grumman slashes overall weight and reduces total part counts, manufacturing combat-ready autonomous jets at a fraction of typical costs.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 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