disturb
Americanverb (used with object)
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to interrupt the quiet, rest, peace, or order of; unsettle.
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to interfere with; interrupt; hinder.
Please do not disturb me when I'm working.
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to interfere with the arrangement, order, or harmony of; disarrange.
to disturb the papers on her desk.
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to perplex; trouble.
to be disturbed by strange behavior.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to intrude on; interrupt
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to destroy or interrupt the quietness or peace of
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to disarrange; muddle
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(often passive) to upset or agitate; trouble
I am disturbed at your bad news
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to inconvenience; put out
don't disturb yourself on my account
Other Word Forms
- disturber noun
- predisturb verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of disturb
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English distorben, distourben, disturben, from Anglo-French desturber, disto(u)rber, from Latin disturbāre “to demolish, upset,” from dis- dis- 1 + turbāre “to agitate, confuse” ( turbid )
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.
Carol Sobel, a longtime L.A. civil rights attorney, said that images — no matter how disturbing — are generally protected by the 1st Amendment when kept on a personal phone rather than a department-issued device.
From Los Angeles Times
Bat peered into the pouch to see if Thor had been disturbed by the movement, but the kit was still fast asleep.
From Literature
"Now we have an explanation: Late bloom stages are associated with increases in new, dissolved organic matter that can disturb these organisms, making them less competitive."
From Science Daily
The results showed that areas directly disturbed by mining equipment experienced a 37 percent decline in animal numbers and a 32 percent reduction in species diversity.
From Science Daily
In León, Carrillo frequently had to skate without music so as not to disturb the children with whom he shared the ice.
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.
