disruption
Americannoun
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forcible separation or division into parts.
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a disrupted condition.
After the coup, the country was in disruption.
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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.
Other Word Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing disruption
Make a Break for It: Rupt
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"Tinker v. Des Moines": Excerpts from Justice Fortas's Opinion
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State of the Union Address 2016
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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.
Disruption to oil markets, inflation expectations and supply chains aren’t hitting the market in a uniform way.
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
Disruption to trade has crimped fuel supplies across the global aviation industry, especially for some Asian and European countries.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
“The difference is enormous. Disruption implies a temporary squeeze. Duration implies a structural premium embedded into the curve.”
From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026
Disruption to crucial oil and gas supplies in the region has fuelled fears of a fresh energy crisis that could ramp up inflation.
From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026
Disruption rolled across the valley—grass turning to sand, forest crumbling to dust.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
