disturb
Americanverb (used with object)
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to interrupt the quiet, rest, peace, or order of; unsettle.
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to interfere with; interrupt; hinder.
Please do not disturb me when I'm working.
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to interfere with the arrangement, order, or harmony of; disarrange.
to disturb the papers on her desk.
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to perplex; trouble.
to be disturbed by strange behavior.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to intrude on; interrupt
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to destroy or interrupt the quietness or peace of
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to disarrange; muddle
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(often passive) to upset or agitate; trouble
I am disturbed at your bad news
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to inconvenience; put out
don't disturb yourself on my account
Other Word Forms
- disturber noun
- predisturb verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of disturb
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English distorben, distourben, disturben, from Anglo-French desturber, disto(u)rber, from Latin disturbāre “to demolish, upset,” from dis- dis- 1 + turbāre “to agitate, confuse” ( turbid )
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 owners of the factory in Rochdale have warned trespassers risk disturbing asbestos fibres, which can cause cancer if even small amounts are breathed in.
From BBC
The quick pic is sometimes even more ignorant, because its perpetrators believe they have some kind of special technique to avoid disturbing other patrons.
From Salon
“I found it really disturbing that the pardons put people on the street again who had been held to account,” Honl-Stuenkel said.
From Salon
Rowlands said the messages between the pair had been "deeply disturbing" and that he would have known her intention was to take it.
From BBC
“That the defendant was once in a position of public trust and committed these acts is disturbing and should be taken seriously,” Assistant U.S.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
