1
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
went to investigate the disturbance outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disruption
an act or instance of the order of things being disturbed
caused a disturbance in the carefully ordered proceedings
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
the assistant apologized for the disturbance and got straight to the point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disturbance
Unnecessary disturbance to the search area may hamper our efforts.
—
Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 22 Jan. 2026
Kp is an index used to indicate the severity of the global magnetic disturbances in near-Earth space, NOAA said.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Those troops haven't yet received orders to deploy, the official said, and a sudden deployment to Greenland wouldn't mesh with the training troops would receive in preparation for Minnesota, which would include de-escalation and civil disturbance training.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Solar radiation storms are driven by fast-moving particles from the sun, while geomagnetic storms occur when disturbances in the solar wind interact with Earth's magnetic field.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disturbance
Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 22 Jan. 2026
Kp is an index used to indicate the severity of the global magnetic disturbances in near-Earth space, NOAA said.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Those troops haven't yet received orders to deploy, the official said, and a sudden deployment to Greenland wouldn't mesh with the training troops would receive in preparation for Minnesota, which would include de-escalation and civil disturbance training.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Solar radiation storms are driven by fast-moving particles from the sun, while geomagnetic storms occur when disturbances in the solar wind interact with Earth's magnetic field.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disturbance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disturbance
Noun
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The Italian island of Palmarola is so close to Rome that it can be reached in a day trip, but far enough away that the commotion of the capital seems like another planet.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Churchgoers began whispering to one another about what to do, and then several children burst into tears during the commotion, Rebecca said.—
Nicole Acevedo,
NBC news,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But with the right approach, this disruption can become a catalyst for building a more resilient, intentional and meaningful career.—
Cynthia Pong,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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As crews work to repair lines and respond to power outages quickly in the DFW area, officials are urging customers to monitor weather alerts and potential service disruptions.—
Briauna Brown,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Many of his victims said that their relationships with family members, employers and partners were irreparably harmed as a result of Hardy's hacking and harassment, which often included sending nude photos of his victims to people in their personal networks.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
-
In September 2021, the Spirit fired head coach Richie Burke following allegations of emotional and verbal harassment.—
Emily Olsen,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
After a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Chelsea on November 1, a scoreline that does not reflect Tottenham’s ineptitude that day, Van de Ven and Djed Spence caused a stir by ignoring Frank’s attempts to keep the duo on the pitch to applaud the fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
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For Indiana’s part, their Heisman-winning quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, grew up in the 305, so his grand return to the city is also causing a stir among locals.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The head of artistic programming at the Kennedy Center abruptly stepped away from his post less than two weeks after he was named to the job in the latest sign of turmoil at the iconic performing arts venue.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Sports technology transactions thrived in 2025, despite the advent of tariffs, a government shutdown and geopolitical turmoil.—
Luisa Beltran,
Sportico.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Not to mention, this bouncy style can take you from day to night without any fuss.—
Krista Carter,
InStyle,
27 Jan. 2026
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The Hurricanes, and their fans, will get to see firsthand what all the fuss is about.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Effective leadership in 2026 still requires foresight, intelligence, delegation, and the ability to separate signal from noise.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Every one of these new bits of hardware introduced a new set of uncoordinated chatter of alarms that simply produced noise.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But that changed in hurry as Evans, who played high school basketball just north of Charlotte, began to heat up with four 3-pointers helping the Blue Devils open a 26-17 lead.—
Lia Assimakopoulos,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Jan. 2026
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But with potential coaching candidates like Mike Tomlin and Sean McDermott joining the coaching carousel in 2027, the pressure is on Glenn and the Jets to get their defense and team turned around in a hurry.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disturbance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disturbance. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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