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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disrupt
The emergency response disrupted the heavily trafficked area near 49th Street and Eighth Avenue.
—
Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 4 May 2026
Announcements from Anthropic on various models this year have hit software stocks because of fears AI will disrupt the sector’s business model.
—Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 4 May 2026
Met security quickly spotted and resolved the incident, which did not disrupt operations or interrupt guests who visited the museum that day, according to a museum spokesperson.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 4 May 2026
But ShopMy has proven that there is always room to disrupt the disruptor.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 4 May 2026
Announcements from Anthropic on various models this year have hit software stocks because of fears AI will disrupt the sector’s business model.
—Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 4 May 2026
Met security quickly spotted and resolved the incident, which did not disrupt operations or interrupt guests who visited the museum that day, according to a museum spokesperson.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 4 May 2026
But ShopMy has proven that there is always room to disrupt the disruptor.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupt
Verb
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Even the ugly stuff broke the Knicks’ way.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
-
Venus Williams was not the only guest to break the fourth wall with an artistic reference to herself.—
Beatrice Dupuy,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2026
Verb
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Remaining quiet and respectful increases the chances of observing bears in their natural habitat without disturbing them.—
Debbie Olsen,
Travel + Leisure,
2 May 2026
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Coherence unravels strange events and disturbing moments that are sure to thrill.—
Grace Dean,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Her head struck the train before she was thrown back onto the platform, fracturing her spine.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
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After weeks of suffering, the strain starts to fracture her relationships with family, friends and colleagues.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Verb
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But when an audition for the sixth film came through, he was initially confused by the prospect of rejoining a franchise in which his character had already died.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
2 May 2026
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The Pace exhibition also included photographs of unidentified objects orbiting Earth and kite-like sculptures resembling military satellites designed to confuse enemy radars.—
Louis Bury,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The Trinity fire, which started May 1 in Phelan, burned 19 acres with no structures damaged, though the blaze destroyed an unknown number of Joshua trees.—
Blanca Begert,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
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But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces destroyed several military and other targets, while also inflicting significant damage on oil port infrastructure.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
Verb
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MotoGP also had to shuffle its schedule due to the conflict in the Middle East, postponing the Qatar Grand Prix to November.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
7 May 2026
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But sometimes, simply shuffling the pieces can help, in our view.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
Verb
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In 1994, American teenager Michael Fay was caned at a Singaporean prison for vandalism, a day after his sentence was reduced from six lashes to four in response to an appeal by President Bill Clinton.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2026
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In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has—unfairly—been reduced to an excuse to drink tequila and eat guac.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
4 May 2026
Verb
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People who are disorganized across the board also exist.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
22 Apr. 2026
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Krajewski said the communication felt disorganized.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disrupt. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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