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
Think of the procession as a series of human floats disrupting the status quo, and expanding the notion of what was possible for Latino artists.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Mar. 2025
Their lives are seriously disrupted.
—Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2025
Although the secretary of state and Elon Musk have assured the public that the new administration’s actions have not disrupted the distribution of life-saving medicine, that just isn’t true.
—John Green, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2025
Drinking alcohol before bed raises blood alcohol content, which disrupts rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep, a critical phase of the sleep cycle responsible for cognitive functions such as memory, concentration and mood regulation.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Mar. 2025
Their lives are seriously disrupted.
—Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2025
Although the secretary of state and Elon Musk have assured the public that the new administration’s actions have not disrupted the distribution of life-saving medicine, that just isn’t true.
—John Green, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2025
Drinking alcohol before bed raises blood alcohol content, which disrupts rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep, a critical phase of the sleep cycle responsible for cognitive functions such as memory, concentration and mood regulation.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupt
Verb
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The only Heat players ruled out Wednesday are Nikola Jovic (broken right hand), Kevin Love (personal reasons) and Dru Smith (left Achilles surgery).—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2025
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Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This involved manually disturbing the leg and then releasing it, capturing the resulting oscillations on high-speed video.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
16 Apr. 2025
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What Is No-Till Gardening? Simply put, no-till is an approach to gardening that avoids disturbing soil in order to preserve its structure.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The club confirmed that Walker, on loan from Manchester City, fractured his elbow on Tuesday but did not put a timeframe on his recovery.—
Sam Joseph,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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From the Indian Removal Act of 1830 to the Indian Relocation Act of 1956 and the Termination Era policies, federal legislation intentionally fractured Tribal Nations, severing Native peoples from their lands, cultures, and community ties.—
Oweesta,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Hippler said in the new order bringing more attention to it in opening statements and through expert testimony would add more time to the already lengthy trial and probably confuse the jury.—
Jean Casarez,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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Snakeheads are often confused with a native species—the bowfin—but anglers can tell them apart by looking at the anal fin, which is much longer on a snakehead.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The gangs have resumed kidnappings, while burning hospitals and destroying schools.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2025
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Meanwhile, over 100 government offices and other structures have been forced to shut their doors, relocate or have been destroyed.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Pretty much everything else is shuffled off to the infotainment system, a single circular touchscreen that lives in the middle of the dash.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
10 Apr. 2025
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While events were shuffled around to fit a new schedule, the royals will also be about to pace themselves following the monarch's recent health setback.—
Stephanie Petit,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This has, among other losses, reduced Egyptian revenue from the Suez Canal by about eight hundred million dollars a month.—
Bernard Avishai,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2025
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Cost Savings: Automation reduces labor costs and minimizes errors.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Maybe communication within the organization is generally disorganized or insufficient.—
Bruce Tulgan,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
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The event was disorganized, upset attendees and even inspired two documentaries about the chaos: Netflix's FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened and Hulu's Fyre Fraud.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disrupt. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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