Synonyms

disrupt

American

[dis-ruhpt] / dɪsˈrʌpt /

verb (used with object)

to cause disorder or turmoil in.

The news disrupted their conference.
to destroy, usually temporarily, the normal continuance or unity of; interrupt.

Telephone service was disrupted for hours.
to break apart.

to disrupt a connection.
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

broken apart; disrupted.

disrupt British

/ dɪsˈrʌpt /

verb

(tr) to throw into turmoil or disorder
(tr) to interrupt the progress of (a movement, meeting, etc)
to break or split (something) apart

"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

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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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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.

“Even in a strong economy, AI will disrupt old economy companies, especially highly levered ones,” Pimco said.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 13, 2026

It will help the defensive-minded teams like Jordan that they will get three-minute hydration breaks at this World Cup, which turns the games into quarters and disrupt momentum.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

In the past 12 months, Microsoft stock has fallen 13% on fears that OpenAI—and its rival Anthropic—will disrupt the market for Microsoft’s business software.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

A strike that had the potential to disrupt the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

Tessie who secretly monitored her children’s bowel movements and so of course knew exactly how greasy American foods could disrupt their digestion.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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