disrupt
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause disorder or turmoil in.
The news disrupted their conference.
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to destroy, usually temporarily, the normal continuance or unity of; interrupt.
Telephone service was disrupted for hours.
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to break apart.
to disrupt a connection.
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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.
adjective
verb
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(tr) to throw into turmoil or disorder
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(tr) to interrupt the progress of (a movement, meeting, etc)
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to break or split (something) apart
Other Word Forms
- disrupter noun
- disruption noun
- disruptor noun
- nondisrupting adjective
- nondisruptingly adverb
- undisrupted adjective
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”
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.
The research team wanted to determine whether signals from these cells could disrupt otherwise healthy lungs.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
Tech companies are contending with the rise of artificial intelligence, which could disrupt the way people shop.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
For most parents, a realistic goal “is usually not to fully fund college, but to create enough flexibility so school decisions” don’t disrupt the family’s finances, Bogardus said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
On Tuesday, the UK signed a two-month extension on a £476m deal made with France by the previous government for extra patrols to disrupt migrant smuggling gangs.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
The sheriff said, “That’s one of y’all’s options, but that’s problemish too; the roads is full of people looking to disrupt what you got planned.”
From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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.
