1
as in commotions
a state of noisy, confused activity
went to investigate the disturbance outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disruptions
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 harassments
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 disturbances
Saturday, when police responded to multiple disturbances within the southwest area of the city, FOX 5 reported.
—
Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
An active weather pattern returns by the end of the week due to a southerly wind, an increase in moisture, and a few different disturbances.
—Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
Another local tribe, the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, is currently contracted by Shea Homes to monitor the site and handle potential disturbances to cultural resources.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
However, today’s quantum hardware suffers from tiny disturbances (noise) from the environment, which can quickly derail these calculations.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 4 Apr. 2026
Deter birds by creating visual disturbances and physical barriers.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 3 Apr. 2026
Al Capone’s brother Frank was killed in a shootout with Chicago police who were hired by Cicero to quell election disturbances in the village.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, forecasters at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center report generally low solar flare activity but note increasing solar wind speeds and magnetic disturbances that can help energize auroras.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
At that point, even small disturbances can trigger large cascades of change.
—Lawrence Rosenberg, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
An active weather pattern returns by the end of the week due to a southerly wind, an increase in moisture, and a few different disturbances.
—Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
Another local tribe, the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, is currently contracted by Shea Homes to monitor the site and handle potential disturbances to cultural resources.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
However, today’s quantum hardware suffers from tiny disturbances (noise) from the environment, which can quickly derail these calculations.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 4 Apr. 2026
Deter birds by creating visual disturbances and physical barriers.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 3 Apr. 2026
Al Capone’s brother Frank was killed in a shootout with Chicago police who were hired by Cicero to quell election disturbances in the village.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, forecasters at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center report generally low solar flare activity but note increasing solar wind speeds and magnetic disturbances that can help energize auroras.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
At that point, even small disturbances can trigger large cascades of change.
—Lawrence Rosenberg, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disturbances
Noun
-
Over the past year, men’s ski jumping has been marred by Norway’s cheating scandal and more recent genital manipulation rumors, which has become one of the early commotions of the Milano-Cortina Games.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Experts see coal as a critical safety net for China’s security needs, and the Iran war has once again highlighted just how vulnerable energy supply chains are to disruptions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Hanlon hopes disruptions to funding are over and commitments to more funding for long COVID come through.—
Jimmy Lovrien,
Twin Cities,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The everyday realities of life under the occupation, including the hassles and harassments of bureaucratic delays and security checkpoints, can suddenly become matters of life and death.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
About two couples, connected and dependent on one another, raising their kids alongside each other, facing the same turmoils, the same existential questions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Mayer and Strong offer a broad pop-history lesson, in which the same tensions and turmoils churn on and on in their terrible cycle throughout the decades; the only thing that’s changed are the aesthetics.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
-
Though bears are usually just curious and not threatening, mimicking animal noises or making any sudden movement can trigger an attack.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In addition to Rocky's vocalizations, Van der Ryn and Aadahl were also responsible for crafting hundreds of sounds and noises needed to fill out the soundscape.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As for where the strongest storms will be, Hinton said forecast models point to closer to the coastline.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Their frames carry the weight of storms, salt air and centuries.—
Reginald David,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disturbances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disturbances. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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