1
as in to break
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
an earthquake that had disrupted the elevated highway in several places
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to disturb
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
the arrival of a baby in the household would totally disrupt their established routine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disrupt
The recent fires in Los Angeles decimated entire neighborhoods and business districts; wiped out history; crushed open spaces and disrupted the patterns of life in the city.
—
Jonathan Shikes, The Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2025
While these tariffs could disrupt e-commerce rivals like Temu and Shein, Amazon is in a strong position.
—Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 6 Feb. 2025
One is the possibility that necessary services could be disrupted, from air traffic control to tax refunds.
—Christopher Wong Michaelson and Jennifer Tosti-Kharas, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
There is also concern from others that moving Palestinians out of Gaza could upset Hamas and disrupt the cease-fire and hostage release agreement.
—Elaine Mallon, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for disrupt 
Jonathan Shikes, The Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2025
While these tariffs could disrupt e-commerce rivals like Temu and Shein, Amazon is in a strong position.
—Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 6 Feb. 2025
One is the possibility that necessary services could be disrupted, from air traffic control to tax refunds.
—Christopher Wong Michaelson and Jennifer Tosti-Kharas, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
There is also concern from others that moving Palestinians out of Gaza could upset Hamas and disrupt the cease-fire and hostage release agreement.
—Elaine Mallon, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for disrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupt
Verb
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Having lost a close first set against Krueger, Bencic responded in impressive fashion by playing more aggressive tennis and breaking her opponent’s serve five times over the next two sets.—
George Ramsay,
CNN,
9 Feb. 2025
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On the hunt for a recipe to break you out of your monotonous meal routine?—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The following story contains graphic language that may disturb some readers.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
16 Feb. 2025
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Warren called his sister and was disturbed by their short conversation.—
Johnny Dodd,
People.com,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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While arms deals to Israel have historically been bipartisan, the war between Israel and Hamas fractured the Democratic Party as more progressive lawmakers vocally criticized Netanyahu’s wartime actions and called for more humanitarian assistance to Gaza.—
Rachel Schilke,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
5 Feb. 2025
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The impact fractured Jensen’s skull and caused bleeding in his brain.—
Mara H. Gottfried,
Twin Cities,
3 Feb. 2025
Verb
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This should not be confused as some kind of part-time mentoring role, like someone coming in to give a speech once in a while and then clearing off.—
Simon Johnson,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
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Don't let the term air fryer confuse you: These things are pretty much just small convection ovens that use fans to circulate hot air around your food in order to cook it evenly and efficiently.—
Emily Farris,
Bon Appétit,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Eaton fire happened on Jan. 7 and Allen’s house was destroyed, along with that of his assistant.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2025
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Gazans are also facing dehydration with 70% of critical water infrastructure damaged or destroyed throughout the war, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Smaller breeds take the field in the first quarter, and the lineup shuffles to play the larger breeds in the fourth quarter.—
Emma Bowman,
NPR,
8 Feb. 2025
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Just one row above the workers, a group of tourists shuffled along and looked askance at the repair work.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Trump, who took office on January 20, campaigned heavily on the economy, vowing to reduce inflation and impose tariffs on some of the country's closest trading partners like Mexico and Canada, citing concerns over drugs, immigration, and trade deficits.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
8 Feb. 2025
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Introduced late in the first decade of the 2000s, the program was revived in 2022 as part of a series of insurance reforms that aimed to reduce litigation — and insurance company failures.—
Ron Hurtibise,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Combined with frequent personnel turnover, the sources claim that makes the mayor’s team disorganized and at times difficult to work with.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2025
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Frequently feeling overwhelmed, disorganized or unable to balance your daily tasks.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
28 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Disrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disrupt. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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