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

See Examples For:

disrupt disrupts disrupted disrupting

Some international companies are evaluating evacuation options and looking for backup transportation for employees as the Houthi attacks disrupt flights and prompt tougher government travel warnings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

It can disrupt wind patterns above the Caribbean and the Atlantic leading to increased wind shear, meaning winds that blow at different speeds and directions at different levels in the atmosphere.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

The companies are among the survivors of the quest to disrupt aviation using new aircraft designs, electricity and artificial intelligence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Ukraine’s Night Watch division uses Lima to blast signals over a 120-mile range that disrupt drones, missiles and guided bombs, said a major in the unit, known by his call sign Alchemist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

She didn’t think it was a good idea, because life in Texas was going along smoothly and she didn’t want to disrupt our routine.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Hundreds of kilometers away – in Denver and along the Canadian border – heavy ashfall darkens the sky, obstructs roads and disrupts power, water supplies and communications.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

When Rosales writes about cholos, she disrupts caricatures.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

“The continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupts international supply chains and curtails product availability,” the agency said in its closely watched monthly report on Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

"Changing those structures at short notice creates significant uncertainty, disrupts planning, and places additional operational and financial pressure on organisations that are already operating with limited resources."

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

We trade in our morning books for our afternoon books and then Boy21 says, “They don’t want me to wear my outer-space clothes. They say it disrupts the school day. Do you agree?”

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick

But when a match involving two-time champion Naomi Osaka was disrupted by a group of influencers conducting a photo shoot, it prompted a debate about tennis etiquette.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

“Cybersecurity has been disrupted, and to an extent, redefined by AI,” said Mark Sasson, co-founder and managing partner at Pinpoint.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

They found that obesity had disrupted proteins involved in lipolysis, the process through which stored fat is broken down and made available for energy.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

Over the last five years, coastal erosion, bluff movement, high tides and landslides have significantly disrupted rail service in San Clemente.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

One test required Mary to clamber onto the catwalk of the wind tunnel, measuring how rivets disrupted the airflow over a particular model.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

More often than not, during such a meeting the parent blamed my wife or the principal for taking the phone and disrupting the parent’s day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

A study released in February found it was affecting bird behaviour across the globe, disrupting everything from courtship songs to their ability to find food and avoid predators.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Above the gumline, where oxygen is more plentiful, disrupting AHL signaling favored bacteria linked with better oral health.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

While the region has always drawn tourists, trekkers and researchers given its scenic landscape and biodiversity, rapid infrastructure expansion in the past decade has made more places accessible, increasing footfall and disrupting the wildlife.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

She would have kneeled on the ground, but she was afraid of disrupting the clay figures standing on the ground at her feet.

From "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin

Related Words

• breach
• break into
• obstruct