disruption

American  

[dis-ruhp-shuhn] / dɪsˈrʌp ʃən /

noun

• disruptions
  plural

1. forcible separation or division into parts.

2. a disrupted condition.

   After the coup, the country was in disruption.

3. Business. a radical change in an industry, business strategy, etc., especially involving the introduction of a new product or service that creates a new market.

   Globalization and the rapid advance of technology are major causes of business disruption.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• predisruption
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• disruptions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of disruption

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin disruptiōn-, stem of disruptiō; equivalent to disrupt + -ion

Explanation

A disruption is a major disturbance, something that changes your plans or interrupts some event or process. A screaming child on an airplane can be a disruption of the passengers' sleep. A break in the action, especially an unplanned and confusing one, is a disruption. A sudden thunderstorm is an unwelcome disruption of an outdoor wedding ceremony, and a flat tire on an elaborate float will probably cause a parade disruption. When you disrupt something, you upset it or mess it up. In Latin disrupt means "broken into pieces," from dis, "apart," and rumpere, "to break."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

disruption disruptions

Hudson said the carrier managed to produce a "strong" result despite disruption from the Middle East conflict and high fuel prices, allowing it to invest in renewing its fleet.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

That attack resulted in a global disruption to Stryker’s Microsoft systems, which caused employee cellphones and laptops to stop working.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

“The place to start is with a process for building the right institutions before the disruption forces governments into crisis mode,” he wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

“It has been the most significant disruption to U.S. wines since the Prohibition,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Another especially effective strategy was disruption of the Indigenous trade networks, which caused food shortages and starvation.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

“Right at the onset of the Iran war, fertilizer prices increased sharply due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz,” says Christopher Pudenz, 32, an economist in Des Moines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

New neuron formation operates within a larger hippocampal circuit that stores episodic memories along with their emotional significance, and molecular disruptions appeared throughout that system.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

American businesses could face higher prices for steel and aluminum as well as other costly disruptions in their ability to obtain key supplies.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

French authorities issued an orange alert for thunderstorms in large parts of the country's south-west, which have already been hit by power outages and transport disruptions.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

If nothing else, I’ll need lots of disruptions to be sure I can get Oak out of there.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Related Words

• confusion
• disorder
• disturbance