disturb

verb

dis·​turb di-ˈstərb How to pronounce disturb (audio)
disturbed; disturbing; disturbs

transitive verb

1
a
: to interfere with : interrupt
disturbing the flow of traffic
b
: to alter the position or arrangement of
the items on her desk had been disturbed
c
: to upset the natural and especially the ecological balance or relations of
wetlands disturbed by development
2
a
: to destroy the tranquility or composure of
The noisy lawnmower disturbed their sleep.
was disturbed by his bizarre behavior
b
: to throw into disorder
disturbing our routine
c
: alarm
trying not to disturb the sleeping dogs
d
: to put to inconvenience
sorry to disturb you at such a late hour
disturber noun
disturbingly adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for disturb

discompose, disquiet, disturb, perturb, agitate, upset, fluster mean to destroy capacity for collected thought or decisive action.

discompose implies some degree of loss of self-control or self-confidence especially through emotional stress.

discomposed by the loss of his beloved wife

disquiet suggests loss of sense of security or peace of mind.

the disquieting news of factories closing

disturb implies interference with one's mental processes caused by worry, perplexity, or interruption.

the discrepancy in accounts disturbed me

perturb implies deep disturbance of mind and emotions.

perturbed by her husband's strange behavior

agitate suggests obvious external signs of nervous or emotional excitement.

in his agitated state we could see he was unable to work

upset implies the disturbance of normal or habitual functioning by disappointment, distress, or grief.

the family's constant bickering upsets the youngest child

fluster suggests bewildered agitation.

his declaration of love completely flustered her

Examples of disturb in a Sentence

I'm sorry to disturb you at such a late hour. She doesn't want to be disturbed while she's working. Don't disturb the baby when he's sleeping. The noise disturbed my concentration.
Recent Examples on the Web The shifting sands of human politics, economics and more continue to disturb these bones more than did the intervening 80 million years since some last strode the earth. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024 But the lower court denied the state’s request to block Border Patrol agents from accessing the international border or disturbing the barrier while the litigation continued. Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 The plot involves an encounter during which a burglar is disturbed by the homeowner, Julyan said. Christopher Kuo, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 However, campgrounds also have set quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. where campers can't knowingly cause noise that will disturb others. Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024 Hereditary, the tale of a demonic cult that infiltrates a family across generations, is saturated with both dread and disturbing imagery (much of it involving heads getting violently separated from their bodies). Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 As the water has become shallower, visitors might disturb untouched parts of the basin just to find deeper waters. Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The pristine blanket layered the ground for miles beyond what the eye could see, disturbed only where snowshoes and unseen animals had traipsed through. Caralin Nunes, The Arizona Republic, 24 Feb. 2024 One of the other disturbing twists in this story is that Byous was briefly sent to a rehabilitation unit. Judy Stone, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disturb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English disturben, destourben, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French destorber, from Latin disturbare, from dis- + turbare to throw into disorder, from turba disorder — more at turbid

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of disturb was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near disturb

Cite this Entry

“Disturb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disturb. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

disturb

verb
dis·​turb dis-ˈtərb How to pronounce disturb (audio)
1
a
: to interfere with : interrupt
b
: to change the position, arrangement, or stability of
2
a
: to trouble the mind of : make uneasy
b
: to throw into confusion or disorder
c
: to cause bother to
disturber noun

Legal Definition

disturb

transitive verb
dis·​turb
1
: to destroy the tranquility or composure of
2
: to throw into disorder

intransitive verb

: to cause disturbance

More from Merriam-Webster on disturb

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