1
as in breaks
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
an earthquake that had disrupted the elevated highway in several places
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disturbs
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
the arrival of a baby in the household would totally disrupt their established routine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disrupts
The condition disrupts the production of CoQ10, a molecule essential for generating energy inside cells, leading to rapid neurological decline and loss of mobility.
—
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Jan. 2026
In other words, alcohol disrupts hydration, irritates the gut, inflames blood vessels, messes with sleep, and forces your liver into metabolic overdrive.
—Ciara Lucas, SELF, 30 Dec. 2025
Some survivors face more than six trial postponements, the charity says, adding that this process disrupts lives and is so difficult that many survivors pull out of their trials entirely.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
Teenagers and adults, while less likely to die, can experience weeks of debilitating coughing that disrupts school, work, and daily life, says Nachman.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Doctors eventually determined his seizure was caused by a brain arteriovenous malformation, a dangerous tangle of blood vessels that disrupts normal blood flow.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2025
The art of movies, and the acting styles therein, has developed in a 24 fps world, and messing with it disrupts the illusion.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
This happens because a lack of input disrupts synapse formation in the brain's primary visual cortex, weakening vision in that eye.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 19 Dec. 2025
Schools can request waivers if the rule disrupts pick-ups or drop-offs.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disrupts
Verb
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And just seeing the damage there just breaks my heart.—
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My heart breaks for her family.—
Verb
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Another possibility is that there is a relic magnetic field that exists between galaxies which remains from the early universe and disturbs low-energy gamma-rays.—
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The water is perfectly clear — until someone brushes the side of the cave or disturbs the soft bottom, sending fine silt particles billowing into the beam of a headlamp.—
Verb
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Accordingly, the treatments misprescribed can be ineffective at best and harmful at worst, all while the parasite further destroys the cornea.—
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The bill also establishes a Class A misdemeanor if someone, without authorization of the patients, alters, forges, conceals or destroys a request for medication or rescission of a request for medication to affect a health care decision.—
Verb
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Red Rising is a book that seems to confuses some politically right-leaning readers, something which frustrates but doesn’t surprise Abughazaleh.—
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Mars’ clash with Neptune clouds your judgment and confuses your intuition.—
Verb
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These pressures could produce a tsunami that fractures the state’s fiscal foundation, self-inflicts a crisis ultimately demanding drastic cuts, and cripples its competitiveness.—
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The film’s emotional mirror — separation, misunderstanding, and the slow violence of misrepresentation — fractures its political one.—
Verb
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That is not unique — Major League Baseball’s offseason shuffles along at a deliberate pace, just as the Dodgers historically have liked.—
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In front of me, as various motors rev up to speed, the robot shuffles in place, looking like an arthritic boxer readying for a fight.—
Verb
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This reduces the risk of unforeseen physics complications needed for commercial operation, according to the Type One Energy.—
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Metro also began a tap-to-exit program at certain high-crime stations, with the idea that removing fare-jumpers also reduces crime.—
Verb
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The debris – space rocks known as meteoroids – collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA.—
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The debris — space rocks known as meteoroids — collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA.—
Cite this Entry
“Disrupts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disrupts. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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