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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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 between London and Bedford is expected to last a week.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
Disruption to oil supplies and other resources such as fertiliser and aluminium due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have caused a spike in prices, driving up inflation and dampening consumption.
From Barron's • May 25, 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
Disruption to shipping in the narrow waterway, through which a fifth of the world's energy shipments usually passes, has pushed up the price of energy around the world and raised concerns about higher inflation globally.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 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.
