disrupt

American  

[dis-ruhpt] / dɪsˈrʌpt /

verb (used with object)

disrupts, present (3rd person singular) disrupted, past participle, past disrupting present participle

1. to cause disorder or turmoil in.

   The news disrupted their conference.

2. to destroy, usually temporarily, the normal continuance or unity of; interrupt.

   Telephone service was disrupted for hours.

3. to break apart.

   to disrupt a connection.

4. 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.

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adjective

1. broken apart; disrupted.

disrupt British  

/ dɪsˈrʌpt /

verb

1. (tr) to throw into turmoil or disorder

2. (tr) to interrupt the progress of (a movement, meeting, etc)

3. to break or split (something) apart

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• disrupter
  noun
• disruption
  noun
• disruptor
  noun
• nondisrupting
  adjective
• undisrupted
  adjective
• nondisruptingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• disrupting
  present
• disrupted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• disrupt
  simple
• disrupts
  simple
• have disrupted
  perfect
• has disrupted
  perfect
• am disrupting
  progressive
• are disrupting
  progressive
• is disrupting
  progressive
• have been disrupting
  perfect progressive
• has been disrupting
  perfect progressive

Past

• disrupted
  simple
• had disrupted
  perfect
• was disrupting
  progressive
• were disrupting
  progressive
• had been disrupting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will disrupt
  simple
• will have disrupted
  perfect
• will be disrupting
  progressive
• will have been disrupting
  perfect progressive

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”

Explanation

To disrupt is to interrupt or throw something into disorder. If you don't turn your phone off before a play, it might ring and disrupt the actors and the audience. Disrupt goes back to the Latin root disrumpere, "to break apart." When you disrupt, you break someone's concentration, break up a routine, or break apart a system or order, as when bad weather disrupts the travel plans of people in airports. Even if your headphones keep the music in your ears only, singing out loud can disrupt those around you. A larger interruption would be if a war were to erupt. That would disrupt the peace of an entire region and its people.

Example Sentences

According to Eubanks, Djokovic must disrupt Sinner’s movement to break his rhythm, and take his chances.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2026

“It cost me nothing to disrupt what was happening.”

From Salon • Jul. 7, 2026

“The attacks are meant to disrupt and deter ships from traversing the strait,” Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at London’s Chatham House think tank.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

The newly documented behavior, observed in Israel, is the first of its kind and suggests that human made lighting can dramatically disrupt the instincts of small ground dwelling animals.

From Science Daily • Jul. 6, 2026

He looked away from my wondering eyes, lifting my gauze-wrapped hand from the bed and holding it gently in his, careful not to disrupt the wire connecting me to one of the monitors.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

Related Words

• breach
• break into
• obstruct