disturbance
Americannoun
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the act of disturbing. disturbing.
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the state of being disturbed. disturbed.
- Synonyms:
- confusion, perturbation
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an instance of this; commotion.
- Antonyms:
- order
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something that disturbs.
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an outbreak of disorder; a breach of public peace.
Political disturbances shook the city.
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Meteorology. any cyclonic storm or low-pressure area, usually a small one.
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Geology. a crustal movement of moderate intensity, somewhat restricted in area.
noun
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the act of disturbing or the state of being disturbed
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an interruption or intrusion
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an unruly outburst or tumult
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law an interference with another's rights
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geology
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a minor movement of the earth causing a small earthquake
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a minor mountain-building event
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meteorol a small depression
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psychiatry a mental or emotional disorder
Related Words
Other Word Forms
- nondisturbance noun
- predisturbance noun
Etymology
Origin of disturbance
1250–1300; Middle English disto ( u ) rbance < Anglo-French, Old French. See disturb, -ance
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 rate at which trees die off in a forest can vary in response to different types of disturbances, or as forests grow thicker and there is greater competition for resources.
From Barron's
"These are extreme disturbances within the system, and it has not yet been investigated whether the glacial system can absorb this amount of water and is able to influence the drainage itself."
From Science Daily
Over the next century, more than 20 such disturbances broke out across the U.S.—in Baltimore, Cleveland, St. Louis and elsewhere—as demand for doctors, and cadavers, spiked in the quickly growing nation.
Scientists think that low-mass rogue planets are born around stars and later forced out of their orbits by gravitational disturbances, such as close encounters with other planets or unstable stellar companions.
From Science Daily
These episodes caused mood disturbances that lasted more than six months.
From MarketWatch
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.
