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 pipeline has played a key role in moving Saudi oil exports to market as Iran disrupts the Strait of Hormuz with attacks on tankers. — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 30 July 2026 The election law, enacted in July last year by the previous military government, imposes punishments of up to the death penalty for anyone who opposes or disrupts elections. — ABC News, 29 July 2026 Travelers at Miami International Airport on Wednesday are facing cancellations and delays as fallout from an American Airlines shutdown disrupts flight schedules. — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026 When an outside outlet disrupts the arrangement, the insider rushes out the news, preserves his reputation and continues receiving information from the same sources. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026 Plans for their last year of high school falter when Robert Mallory, a mysterious new student played by Homer Gere, comes into town and disrupts the group’s dynamic. — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026 The release of excess nitrogen into the atmosphere disrupts the planet's nitrogen cycle, creating a disequilibrium. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 27 July 2026 Strong wind shear tilts the nascent storm, disrupts its core and interferes with the upward transport of heat and moisture that fuels tropical storms and hurricanes. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 22 July 2026 Oil jumps another 3% to nearly $95 a barrel as war with Iran disrupts tankers, pressuring corporate profits and reviving inflation fears that could trigger more rate hikes. — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupts

Verb

Nolan’s movie reckons with how Odysseus (Matt Damon) breaks Zeus’ law by coming up with the plan for the Trojan Horse and executing it in an attempt to sack the city of Troy through a deception.

— Zack Sharf, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
This piece breaks the AI competition into layers, energy, chips, models, cloud, applications, and physical AI, and finds China ahead in some, behind in others, and closing gaps faster than expected.

— Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 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

The finale’s real tragedy is that Max, in his own warped pursuit of justice, destroys everyone around him before being forced to see his entire crusade differently.

— JP Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026
Alas the aforementioned entity has invaded MJ’s mind, if not body, and destroys any idea that this passionate moment was actually real.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 28 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

In a quiet Argentinian town, the arrival of an ominous former police commissioner and his seductive wife fractures the bond between four inseparable young men.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 28 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

On a cloudy-white Sunday morning in June, Joey Phelps shuffles into the familiar back pew of Yeakley Chapel, the small Methodist church that has been a part of his life for nearly 50 years.

— Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 5 July 2026
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

Definition of shuffles

Verb

Supporting our employees reduces burnout, improves retention, strengthens decision-making and helps ensure exceptional service for Washington County residents.

— Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 5 Aug. 2026
For silent navigation, the Logitech Silent Wireless Mouse reduces click sounds by over 90% without sacrificing tactile feel.

— Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 5 Aug. 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