disturbance

American  

[dih-stur-buhns] / dɪˈstɜr bəns /

noun

• disturbances
  plural

1. the act of disturbing.

2. the state of being disturbed.

   Synonyms:

   confusion, perturbation

3. an instance of this; commotion.

   Antonyms:

   order

4. something that disturbs.

5. an outbreak of disorder; a breach of public peace.

   Political disturbances shook the city.

   Synonyms:

   riot, tumult, confusion

6. Meteorology. any cyclonic storm or low-pressure area, usually a small one.

7. Geology. a crustal movement of moderate intensity, somewhat restricted in area.

---

disturbance British  

/ dɪˈstɜːbəns /

noun

1. the act of disturbing or the state of being disturbed

2. an interruption or intrusion

3. an unruly outburst or tumult

4. law an interference with another's rights

5. geology

   1. a minor movement of the earth causing a small earthquake

   2. a minor mountain-building event

6. meteorol a small depression

7. psychiatry a mental or emotional disorder

---

Synonym Usage

See agitation. See disorder.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondisturbance
  noun
• predisturbance
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• disturbances
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of disturbance

1250–1300; Middle English disto ( u ) rbance < Anglo-French, Old French. See disturb, -ance

---

Explanation

A disturbance is a noisy commotion that causes a hubbub or interruption. It can also be a worried mental state. In hotels, people put up "Do not disturb" signs when they want to be left alone. That's a good clue to what a disturbance is: something, usually noisy or rowdy, that bothers people. An audience member yelling during a piano concert would be a disturbance. Disturbances can also be interruptions, like a disturbance in cable service when the cable goes out. Disturbances can also be mental: if you're worried or anxious, that's a type of internal disturbance.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

disturbance disturbances

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez had warned that authorities "will not tolerate any violence or any disturbance of public order."

From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026

According to the report, the disturbance interfered with railway signals in Exeter and delayed the scheduled 10:05 p.m. train departure by 16 minutes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

Onlookers leapt to the teen’s defense, and it took 75 officers to quell the disturbance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Officers were called to reports of a disturbance at a house in Station Road, Thurnby, shortly before 00:30 BST on Thursday.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

The verdict returned by the jury would be taken in a spirit of justice, and, in any event, he would have the courtroom cleared at the slightest disturbance.

From "The Stranger" by Albert Camus

Using sound stimuli, the researchers measured how quickly the spiders responded to disturbances.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026

There are pictures of the disturbances following the 2015 death of Freddie Gray and a gallery set up as a room in a black home with pictures on the wall and a running television program.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

Solar disturbances had always occurred, but the emergence of electrical technology meant that their effects could now interfere directly with everyday human activities.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

To investigate the lasting effects of COVID-19 on taste, scientists from the University of Colorado Anschutz and two Swedish universities examined 28 people who had experienced taste disturbances for more than a year following infection.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

What comes next is the quietest hour of the day; when they’re all asleep, there are no disturbances.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• brawl
• confusion
• disorder
• disruption
• eruption
• explosion
• fracas
• interruption
• riot
• shock
• storm
• tremor
• turmoil
• upheaval
• uprising
• violence

---