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
Those supporters were left unchallenged by stewards, despite FIFA winning a court hearing enabling them to lawfully prohibit people showing the lion-and-sun flags on the grounds of them carrying a political message and potentially causing disturbances.
—
Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Hayes pointed to a 17-year-old who was shot during last year's fireworks, along with recent youth disturbances across the region.
—Elaine Rojas-Castillo, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Since a nucleus is far better shielded from environmental disturbances than the electrons used in atomic clocks, nuclear clocks could eventually become the most precise timekeepers ever built.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026
So that prompted protests and disturbances in Southampton, and a huge, angry reaction from the far right, both within Britain and internationally.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 12 June 2026
The protests that have broken out since the attack have been pushing anti-immigrant rhetoric and have caused disturbances across Northern Ireland, according to the police.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 11 June 2026
Sleep disturbances affect 70% to 90% of military personnel with PTSD.
—Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
The drug can cause heart rhythm disturbances, high body temperature, extreme confusion, seizures, respiratory failure, coma, and even death.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 10 June 2026
Lee’s Summit Downtown Days In Lee’s Summit, police spent nearly two hours breaking up a series of incidents and disturbances involving teenagers at the city’s Downtown Days festival Saturday night.
—Ben Wheeler
june 9, Kansas City Star, 9 June 2026
Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Hayes pointed to a 17-year-old who was shot during last year's fireworks, along with recent youth disturbances across the region.
—Elaine Rojas-Castillo, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Since a nucleus is far better shielded from environmental disturbances than the electrons used in atomic clocks, nuclear clocks could eventually become the most precise timekeepers ever built.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026
So that prompted protests and disturbances in Southampton, and a huge, angry reaction from the far right, both within Britain and internationally.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 12 June 2026
The protests that have broken out since the attack have been pushing anti-immigrant rhetoric and have caused disturbances across Northern Ireland, according to the police.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 11 June 2026
Sleep disturbances affect 70% to 90% of military personnel with PTSD.
—Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
The drug can cause heart rhythm disturbances, high body temperature, extreme confusion, seizures, respiratory failure, coma, and even death.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 10 June 2026
Lee’s Summit Downtown Days In Lee’s Summit, police spent nearly two hours breaking up a series of incidents and disturbances involving teenagers at the city’s Downtown Days festival Saturday night.
—Ben Wheeler
june 9, Kansas City Star, 9 June 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
-
Those disruptions have driven higher fuel prices and made the war increasingly unpopular in the United States, where consumers have faced rising costs at the pump.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
-
Unlike natural gas, wind power is not subject to fuel price spikes, global market disruptions, or supply constraints during extreme weather.—
Julianna Larue,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 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
-
During a walk-through for reporters on Thursday, construction noises — particularly sanding and hammering — could be heard.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
-
The horses in the unit have been training for the assignment by being exposed to loud noises including fireworks, as well as flares and smoke bombs.—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Refrigerated pie crust helps this pie come together with just a few stirs of the whisk.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Damaging wind gusts potentially topping 75 mph will take over as the main threat later Wednesday night, with individual storms expected to merge into cohesive lines from eastern Kansas first and eventually expand to western Ohio.—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
The storms are expected to move quickly, at approximately 50 miles per hour or greater.—
Albert Ramon,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disturbances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disturbances. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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