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
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.
The stock has emerged as a favored cybersecurity pick among analysts assessing the software companies that seem best positioned to withstand AI disruption.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
Strategic petroleum reserves were established to replace barrels lost to disruption.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
It stops law enforcement agents, including federal agents, from “providing unauthorized access, disruption, modification, or seizure of voter rolls, voter lists, or certified voting technology,” without a court order.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
Analysts note IBM’s infrastructure software serves large, regulated businesses, creating a ‘sticky’ customer base resilient to AI disruption.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
It will be a total disruption to her routine, a complete twist in the way her life is supposed to go.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
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.
