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 colonial system has disrupted a lot, including our perception of ourselves and our food.
—
Osayi Endolyn, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 May 2025
Your sleep is disrupted at just about every phase of the child’s life, especially during the early stages.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 27 May 2025
Natural methods like vinegar, citrus, essential oils, and diatomaceous earth can disrupt or repel ants, though frequent reapplication is needed to keep them effective.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 25 May 2025
President Donald Trump has disrupted global trade and roiled markets in an effort to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Osayi Endolyn, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 May 2025
Your sleep is disrupted at just about every phase of the child’s life, especially during the early stages.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 27 May 2025
Natural methods like vinegar, citrus, essential oils, and diatomaceous earth can disrupt or repel ants, though frequent reapplication is needed to keep them effective.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 25 May 2025
President Donald Trump has disrupted global trade and roiled markets in an effort to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupt
Verb
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Lyons broke into an apartment in the Brittany Woods complex and shoved an officer over a piece of furniture while resisting arrest, police said.—
Dennis Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
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Kemp told police his car had been broken into and several items were stolen.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Beaches aren’t typically hotspots for these kinds of fossils unless something is disturbing the seafloor nearby and carrying the remains to shore.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
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Solar flares can disturb Earth's ionosphere, for instance, briefly disrupting high-frequency radio signals and leading to brief radio blackouts on the daylit side of the planet during the flare event.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
22 May 2025
Verb
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His left orbital bone and right cheekbone were also fractured, among other injuries.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2025
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Meanwhile, the civil-rights movement split the Democratic coalition—its Southern wing peeled off, never to return—and Vietnam fractured the liberals.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
Verb
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Also, this word et cetera at the end of the sentence confused me.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
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Weir was confused by the man’s unusual conviction, though.—
Louise Erdrich,
New Yorker,
25 May 2025
Verb
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Another key feature of algae oil is its high smoke point of 535 degrees—the temperature at which oil begins to break down, release dangerous chemicals, and destroy its nutrients.—
Jonathan Purtell,
Verywell Health,
27 May 2025
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During the week of my embed, the Russian military identified and destroyed a few of the Vampire pilots’ positions.—
Nataliya Gumenyuk,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2025
Verb
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The team then trained three seals–Nick, Luca, and Miro–to shuffle into place in front of a large screen and showed them the simulations.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
29 May 2025
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When one of the figures is placed at the top of a ramp, the force of gravity causes the toy to walk down to the bottom by shuffling its legs back and forth.—
Ben Coxworth,
New Atlas,
23 May 2025
Verb
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With Bayern aiming to reduce their wage bill, the Wirtz signing would have come at the cost of at least an extra €20million (£16.8m, $22.7m) per year, on top of a transfer fee somewhere between €100m and €150m.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
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Their original sentences, which were 12 years and seven years, respectively, were reduced in September 2023.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Within a year, the business is worse off—overextended, disorganized, and more stressed than before.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
7 May 2025
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Flights can be disrupted or disorganized, passengers can be grumpy and some of them even might smell.—
Arabella Hau,
People.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disrupt. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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