Showing results for perturb. Search instead for sertum.

Synonyms

perturb

American

[per-turb] / pərˈtɜrb /

verb (used with object)

to disturb or disquiet greatly in mind; agitate.

I can see how such a massive change in your routine would perturb you.

Synonyms:

worry, trouble

Antonyms:

pacify
to throw into great disorder.

Huge construction projects can take years to finish, and meanwhile, can greatly perturb the neighborhood.

Synonyms:

muddle, disarrange, confuse
Astronomy. to cause perturbation in the orbit of (a celestial body).

perturb British

/ pəˈtɜːb /

verb

to disturb the composure of; trouble
to throw into disorder
physics astronomy to cause (a planet, electron, etc) to undergo a perturbation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of perturb

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English perturben (from Old French perturber ), from Latin perturbāre “to throw into confusion,” from per- per- + turbāre “to agitate, confuse” ( see turbid)

Explanation

To perturb is to bug or bother someone by confusing them or throwing them off balance. You can try, but it's almost impossible to perturb the guards outside Buckingham Palace. If you're having trouble getting used to the word perturb, you're in luck! It's similar in meaning to the verb "disturb." That's right, to perturb is to disturb, but in a way that suggests you're throwing it off its usual path or routine. The movie Born Free truly perturbed widespread views about animals—people suddenly started seeing them as individuals. If you stare at a person you don't know, it won't be long before you perturb them.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing perturb

Grade 9, List 5

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 God of Small Things

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!

Be More Chill

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:

perturb perturbs perturbed perturbing

Some possible treatments have looked to block the origin of the itch to relieve the sensation, Gualdani said, “but it seems if we perturb this pathway, we also perturb eventual itch relief.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026

Using this epigenomic editing technology, the researchers can "perturb" candidate regions to see whether any tested genomic regions can impact downstream gene expression.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2023

Maybe overactive immune cells continue to perturb the nervous system and nearby blood vessels.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 14, 2023

"There was no physical violence or rise in thefts, but they perturb people who are from here," he says, adding: "From now on it's zero tolerance."

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2022

The storm, and the resulting minor earthquakes, did not perturb the meerkats in the least.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

The main problem with room temperature is thermal noise, which perturbs delicate quantum dynamics.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 14, 2024

Perhaps this marks the beginning of a pop culture reconsideration of America’s role in the war, adding nuance that perturbs the accepted heroic narrative.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022

Alade Adeleke: It perturbs the coastal ecosystem, the water system changes, the fisheries is affected.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 17, 2021

It is where Snyder and his closest companions retreat when the game perturbs him, when his intensity boils over.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 14, 2016

Even to dream of wish'd delight Too much perturbs the ebb of night— Bind up, bind up your burning hair!

From Poems New and Old by John Freeman

Not that McIlroy seemed perturbed as the wind gusted beyond 30mph across the 7,440-yard track.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

“I can’t even believe it,” a visibly perturbed Putin said on camera.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

More curiously, even though U.S. high-yield spreads are at post-1998 lows, few investors seemed to be unduly perturbed here.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 18, 2025

And he seemed, in the estimation of some around the team, unusually perturbed as public criticisms of his play started to mount.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025

Ekon watched him go, perturbed, before he made the decision.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

I was especially struck by an extremely perturbing exchange between the two, about what appears to be Summers’ embattled pursuit of a woman.

From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2025

“It’s perturbing and upsetting,” said Mark Bookbinder, a 68-year-old engineer who lives in Cincinnati.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025

And though it’s also perturbing, it’s nice to watch something where even the darkness isn’t synthetic.

From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2025

We now show that perturbing the water layer around the protein, even very slightly, has dramatic effects on collagen assembly.'

From Science Daily ● Mar. 8, 2024

We are perturbing our poor planet in serious and contradictory ways.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023