disrupt
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause disorder or turmoil in.
The news disrupted their conference.
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to destroy, usually temporarily, the normal continuance or unity of; interrupt.
Telephone service was disrupted for hours.
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to break apart.
to disrupt a connection.
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Business. to radically change (an industry, business strategy, etc.), as by introducing a new product or service that creates a new market.
It’s time to disrupt your old business model.
adjective
verb
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(tr) to throw into turmoil or disorder
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(tr) to interrupt the progress of (a movement, meeting, etc)
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to break or split (something) apart
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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disrupternoun
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disruptionnoun
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disruptornoun
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nondisruptingadjective
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undisruptedadjective
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nondisruptinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disruptsimple
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disruptssimple
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have disruptedperfect
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has disruptedperfect
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am disruptingprogressive
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are disruptingprogressive
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is disruptingprogressive
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have been disruptingperfect progressive
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has been disruptingperfect progressive
Past
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disruptedsimple
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had disruptedperfect
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was disruptingprogressive
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were disruptingprogressive
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had been disruptingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disrupt
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin disruptus, variant of dīruptus “broken apart,” past participle of dīrumpere “to break apart,” from dī- di- 2 + rumpere “to break”
Explanation
To disrupt is to interrupt or throw something into disorder. If you don't turn your phone off before a play, it might ring and disrupt the actors and the audience. Disrupt goes back to the Latin root disrumpere, "to break apart." When you disrupt, you break someone's concentration, break up a routine, or break apart a system or order, as when bad weather disrupts the travel plans of people in airports. Even if your headphones keep the music in your ears only, singing out loud can disrupt those around you. A larger interruption would be if a war were to erupt. That would disrupt the peace of an entire region and its people.
Vocabulary lists containing disrupt
Make a Break for It: Rupt
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This Week in Words: December 9 - 15, 2017
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President Obama's Speech to the Nation about Terrorism
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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.
See Examples For:
Goalkeeper treatment has also been used to disrupt the opposition's momentum when they are on top.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
But lately, investors have worried that Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to disrupt what’s been a predictable market for telecommunications services.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
Recent weakness among chip stocks has been fueled by fears that China’s newest artificial-intelligence players could disrupt the field.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Some people carry mutations that disrupt Sorl1, the gene that provides instructions for making SORLA.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
Something passes over his face, a hesitance, before he asks, “Could you...maybe you could show me around here sometime? If it wouldn’t disrupt your training?”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Gasoline prices have climbed above $4 a gallon as the Iran war disrupts energy markets, inflation remains elevated and interest rates are high.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
The remarks will likely reinforce market expectations that the BOK will resume tightening as soon as next month, as the Iran crisis drives up energy prices and disrupts supply chains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Consider what Christianity, at its core, actually does: It transgresses and disrupts.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
"It threatens the safety of passengers and crew, and disrupts hard-earned holidays."
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
But if a mutation disrupts the function of an enzyme, then the normal gene must specify the information to make the normal enzyme.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Rival cruise line Carnival said last month that extreme geopolitical volatility has disrupted bookings, and the company issued a soft outlook, expecting higher fuel costs to continue to weigh on profit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Along with Minneapolis and St. Paul, it challenged Operation Metro Surge by arguing that the federal government had disrupted schools, businesses, emergency services, municipal resources, streets, and the trust on which local governance depends.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
They also identify ACOT1 as a possible new drug target and suggest that correcting disrupted fatty acid metabolism could become a useful strategy for treating RA.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
The UK, France and other European countries saw an exceptional spell of heat in June which disrupted transport, schools and hospitals, raising concerns about health and poorly-adapted infrastructure.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Four mentioned how the mill upriver had disrupted fishing.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
Picking up the pace is a worthy goal, he said, but that would mean beefing up the workforce, disrupting traffic and commerce with more street closures, and asking customers to write bigger checks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
“The solution is becoming obvious — companies will want to build a way to make sure they can switch AI models without disrupting their business,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Phones, power banks and vapes are spontaneously catching fire on planes, injuring passengers and disrupting flights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
As the region sweltered through its latest heatwave, the wildfire -- rare in the north of the country -- quickly spread, disrupting rail and road traffic during a busy holiday travel weekend.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
They came in their hundreds, week after week, disrupting both his practice and his home life.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
