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
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 disturbance
Charlotte should stay alert to a tropical disturbance near Cuba that could strengthen into a tropical storm and hurricane named Imelda, a National Weather Service forecaster said Friday.
—
Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 26 Sep. 2025
While the 1972 London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution put an end to the legal dumping of unused explosive munitions in the sea, these relics now provide a rich area of study for marine biologists, offering a real-world look at how animals adapt to habitat disturbances.
—New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2025
Meteorologists were also monitoring a disturbance nearby—dubbed Invest 94L for possible development.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The system tracks any motions under any disturbances.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disturbance
Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 26 Sep. 2025
While the 1972 London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution put an end to the legal dumping of unused explosive munitions in the sea, these relics now provide a rich area of study for marine biologists, offering a real-world look at how animals adapt to habitat disturbances.
—New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2025
Meteorologists were also monitoring a disturbance nearby—dubbed Invest 94L for possible development.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The system tracks any motions under any disturbances.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disturbance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disturbance
Noun
-
There’s a huge commotion around us.—
Eli Sharabi,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The K-pop contingent caused a commotion, with Blackpink’s Lisa snapping pics with Stray Kids’ Felix.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
My purpose is to define and to deliver my vision of beauty, but related to our times and to this house, so keeping the codes of the house, like disruption, creativity, adding probably humanity and couture as culture, but trying to do a reconciliation with everything that’s been done before.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Controllers reporting to work has helped Sky Harbor operate normally with limited disruptions.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
For the better part of the 2010s, Twitter struggled to balance a desire for free-speech maximalism with scattershot attempts to quell harassment on the platform.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Bukele had been waging a harassment campaign against El Faro, which had aggressively covered corruption in his government.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Along with each political plot twist in the paddock, technological advancements cause quite a stir.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
That calmness, however, was soon overtaken by the kitchen, with the hiss of the pans, stir of the pots and sharp calls exchanged between cooks quickly filling the air, along with the sounds of an upbeat Peruvian song playing in the background.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Even with the constant turmoil on special teams, the offense routinely made it into Patriots territory.—
Mike Kaye
September 28,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Callie, the hottest person at Seattle Grace, went through so much turmoil and humiliation in her relationships prior to that, including, but not limited to, being cheated on by her husband and being dumped by a newly out lesbian who couldn’t handle her being bisexual.—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Stop in to see what all the fuss is about.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
27 Sep. 2025
-
The ongoing lawsuit isn't the first time the FTC has made a fuss about Amazon's operations recently.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Uiagalelei has 18 pressures and four sacks this season and has been a force all over the field, including an impressive performance (six pressures, five hurries, one sack) at Penn State last week.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The outlook looks bleak if rookies Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips don’t improve in a hurry.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There’s always been noise downtown Downtown Fort Worth sits at the intersection of three freeways, a train yard, and serves as both a central business district and entertainment spot.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Forget about trying to pick out the key sounds through the crowd noise.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disturbance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disturbance. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share