disturb
Americanverb (used with object)
-
disturbs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disturbed,
past participle, past
-
disturbing
present participle
-
to interrupt the quiet, rest, peace, or order of; unsettle.
-
to interfere with; interrupt; hinder.
Please do not disturb me when I'm working.
-
to interfere with the arrangement, order, or harmony of; disarrange.
to disturb the papers on her desk.
-
to perplex; trouble.
to be disturbed by strange behavior.
verb (used without object)
-
disturbs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disturbed,
past participle, past
-
disturbing
present participle
verb
-
to intrude on; interrupt
-
to destroy or interrupt the quietness or peace of
-
to disarrange; muddle
-
(often passive) to upset or agitate; trouble
I am disturbed at your bad news
-
to inconvenience; put out
don't disturb yourself on my account
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disturbsimple
-
disturbssimple
-
have disturbedperfect
-
has disturbedperfect
-
am disturbingprogressive
-
are disturbingprogressive
-
is disturbingprogressive
-
have been disturbingperfect progressive
-
has been disturbingperfect progressive
Past
-
disturbedsimple
-
had disturbedperfect
-
was disturbingprogressive
-
were disturbingprogressive
-
had been disturbingperfect progressive
Future
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” ( see turbid)
Explanation
To disturb is to bother. If you hang a "Do not disturb" sign on the outside of your hotel room door, you want to be left alone. Disturb comes from the Latin prefix dis-, meaning "completely" and turbare, meaning "to disorder." To disturb is, in a sense, to completely disorder. When you disturb something, you interfere with its normal function. Along those lines, it's also a word used to describe the interruption of sleep or relaxation. Your alarm disturbs you from sleep every morning. When something disturbs you, it can also cause you emotional anxiety. A horror movie might disturb you with its goriness.
Vocabulary lists containing disturb
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Circuit
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Raven"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
These jets may disturb the reservoir of material galaxies depend on for future growth, potentially affecting whether they continue producing stars.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
In a one line order, Kagan, who is assigned to review emergency requests originating from California, declined to disturb that ruling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
The environment body said the excavation of gravel and the removal of minerals could disturb riverbeds, impacting habitats that wildlife rely on.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Having access to a preserved specimen had also meant an opportunity to examine authentic animal hair in a controlled and ethical way, he said, without needing to disturb a live animal.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
I went back to my room and began sorting and folding my clothes, trying not to disturb Torito and Rubén, who were still asleep.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
But witnessing the book’s reception, it disturbs me how quickly we, as readers, have accepted one side of a complicated relationship: The husband is a monster, she is our sister.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
What really disturbs professionals is the FDA’s injection of inconsistency into its reviews of drug applications.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
Any attempt to intercept the quantum signals disturbs them, creating detectable errors that alert users to possible eavesdropping.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 17, 2026
Just like moving fingers under the running water from a tap can disrupt its steady flow, HIP 67522 b disturbs the star’s magnetic field as it orbits around its host star.
From Space Scoop ● Jul. 17, 2025
The string disturbs the air molecules around it as it vibrates, producing sound waves in the air.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
He was disturbed by images of fans being hit with rubber bullets and equipment being stolen, but also realized the band’s trajectory had suddenly changed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Halzen's great leap was to use ice instead -- unlike liquid water, it isn't disturbed by living creatures, and its darkness is constant at great depth.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Olah was disturbed after reading a copy of “Magnifica humanitas” and suggested pulling Anthropic out of the event, although he ultimately attended.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
They gently disturbed the entire atomic chain by changing the lasers at a particular frequency and then measured how strongly the atoms responded.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
The magistrate followed, perfectly clean and looking incredibly irritated that he’d been disturbed and dragged to the farm.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Brian had written down the recipe, and, in his back shed, Michael, with the eventual assistance of Kasey, sets about following it into strange and disturbing territory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
In an eight-minute video statement released on Saturday night, Michael Kotlikoff described the allegations raised by the woman, identified as Jane Doe, as "deeply disturbing".
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
"What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come."
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
The ads themselves, though, were not the most disturbing thing.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
It blew in great, roaring gusts, then abruptly died, leaving an empty space that echoed with the most disturbing sound: a far-off moaning, as if the woods were trying to tell Clare something.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
