disturb
verb (used with object)
to interrupt the quiet, rest, peace, or order of; unsettle.
was disturbing
-
past progressiveof disturb.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
He said it was disturbing to learn that the New Year’s fire allegedly was arson, but that the news on Wednesday raised more questions than answers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2025
Sigrid remembers her parents being called to school to collect her because her crying during a group performance was disturbing other children.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2025
Various measures of crime peaked in D.C. in 2023, and that was disturbing, because at the time nationally, the crime wave was starting to ebb, and D.C. was still going up.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2025
He added that talk of only one head rolling over the scandal was "disturbing".
From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2024
And it was disturbing to see—among the established plantings—the raw brown earth like a wound in the ground.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
