disruption

American  

[dis-ruhp-shuhn] / dɪsˈrʌp ʃən /

noun

• disruptions
  plural

1. forcible separation or division into parts.

2. a disrupted condition.

   After the coup, the country was in disruption.

3. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• predisruption
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• disruptions
  plural

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

disruption disruptions

Investment pros say AI disruption has created a stock picker’s market, but such funds are performing as poorly as ever.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The exercise -- enlisting 18,000 South Korean troops and counterparts from US forces in the country -- will have a heightened focus on drone warfare, GPS disruption and the role of cyber attacks, he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

But in addition to big stakes in companies like OpenAI, Stripe and SpaceX, Kushner has said that his core investment thesis also prizes “iconic franchises” that will be immune from technological disruption.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Count Binface said he had asked police if was there "any credible threat of a disruption here", adding: "I can tell you they said unequivocally no, it was safe to go ahead."

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

He did not understand it, but there was no time to dwell on the matter: Hagrid was causing a certain amount of disruption.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

The NGO Save the Children said more than 8,000 children faced "safety risks and disruptions to their education" following the quake.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

That’s mainly because global refining capacity for finished fuels is severely constrained by geopolitical conflicts and facility disruptions, even as crude supplies remain relatively stable.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026

The travel disruptions were also creating uncertainty for LAX travelers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Still, the continued disruptions are running down global oil inventories and reducing the market’s ability to absorb shocks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Ultimately, however, there were very few disruptions, and no disaster came to pass.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• confusion
• disorder
• disturbance