disrupt
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause disorder or turmoil in.
The news disrupted their conference.
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to destroy, usually temporarily, the normal continuance or unity of; interrupt.
Telephone service was disrupted for hours.
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to break apart.
to disrupt a connection.
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Business. to radically change (an industry, business strategy, etc.), as by introducing a new product or service that creates a new market.
It’s time to disrupt your old business model.
adjective
verb
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(tr) to throw into turmoil or disorder
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(tr) to interrupt the progress of (a movement, meeting, etc)
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to break or split (something) apart
Other Word Forms
- disrupter noun
- disruption noun
- disruptor noun
- nondisrupting adjective
- nondisruptingly adverb
- undisrupted adjective
Etymology
Origin of disrupt
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin disruptus, variant of dīruptus “broken apart,” past participle of dīrumpere “to break apart,” from dī- di- 2 + rumpere “to break”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A variety of tailwinds appear poised to help stocks power ahead, potentially offsetting risks such as a potential Supreme Court ruling that could disrupt expectations regarding tariffs and increasing caution among retail investors.
From Barron's
Any words from Powell or hints in the data that disrupt bets on the Fed’s next move could mean pain for stocks until the central bank does, in all likelihood, slash rates next week.
From Barron's
In November 2015, solar activity disrupted air traffic control, leading to chaos in Sweden and some other European airports.
From BBC
He's laboratory focuses on how environmental stressors, including UV radiation and arsenic in drinking water, disrupt molecular pathways and damage cellular systems in ways that promote cancer.
From Science Daily
For students who had already been attending U.S. schools, the decline is an indicator of disrupted learning — and, in some school districts, financial shortfalls.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
