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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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 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 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 Painting a kitchen disrupts its use, so choosing timeless, high-end colors ensures lasting satisfaction. — Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 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 Plantation owners and traditional farmers often start fires to clear land for farming at low cost, triggering hazardous haze that reduces visibility, disrupts land and air transportation and threatens public health. — Muhammad Hatta, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Change disrupts the status quo, and employees often resist change activities to preserve stability. — John Radman, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupts

Verb

Per the synopsis, the arrival of Ema’s niece, Julie, and the murder of three local teenagers trigger a strange phenomenon that breaks the fragile balance between the living and the dead.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
Still, with the general momentum from the summer, industry analysts expect that 2026 could finally be the year that the domestic box office breaks $10 billion, a milestone that hasn’t been reached since before the pandemic.

— Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 8 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

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
Laser destroys 11 drones in 10 days US forces have stopped around 300 drones allegedly linked to cartels since the beginning of 2026.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of destroys

Verb

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
With enough pulses, the fast-swelling channel, as in Yutkin’s investigation, induces a shock wave that fractures the rock.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 11 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

In terms of hardware, the iPhone Duo comes with Apple’s upgraded A20 Pro chip, the company’s in-house C2 cellular modem, a 48-megapixel camera, and a nanotexture finish on its display that reduces glare and reflections.

— Emma Roth, The Verge, 9 Sep. 2026
Whether the strategy reduces graft is a live debate — Singapore is third-lowest of 182 countries on one index, but Hong Kong, with much lower pay, also scores well.

— Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 9 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