1
as in to bother
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
all that talk of war disturbed us
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2
as in to remove
to change the place or position of
the items on her desk had been disturbed by someone
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3
as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
her careful filing system is sure to be disturbed during the move
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4
as in to worry
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
sorry to disturb you while you're working
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5
as in to weigh
to cause discomfort to or trouble for
please do not disturb yourself—I'll get my own drink
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disturb
Under this order, Phypers is not allowed to own or buy guns, abuse Richards, disturb her peace, be in contact with her, among other restrictions.
—
Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
The outlet reported that under the restraining order, Phypers is not allowed to own or buy guns, abuse Richards, disturb her peace, or be in contact with her, among other restrictions.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2025
The top coat went on smoothly and didn’t disturb the color underneath, adding a nice shine and helping the manicure last longer.
—Melanie Fincher, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2025
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.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disturb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disturb
Verb
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Take a seat on an icy throne—the cold never bothered you anyway.—
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Don’t bother wasting your money—using it more than once a day won’t yield ‘better’ or faster results.—
Verb
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Everglades restoration involves removing as many of these dams as possible without risking flood control, while adding more reservoirs for water storage, all to revive a river of grass that flows once more.—
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Staff immediately removed him from his cell and provided medical aid.—
Verb
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Bullet train services were temporarily disrupted, and cameras mounted on buildings showed visible shaking.—
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However, drinking caffeinated tea too late in the day can disrupt sleep.—
Verb
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Paster is not worried in the slightest.—
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The proposal is a concern for many council members, who worry that such an amendment, if approved, could jeopardize their positions.—
Verb
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Just a few months ago, McKenna was weighing the two schools against each other, the Spartans finishing as runners-up in his historic recruiting war.—
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Lawmakers are still weighing the costs to the state of doing so and have yet to decide on an approach, House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, told the Idaho Statesman.—
Verb
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The goal was to ensure the makeup didn’t distract the audience but rather felt invisible.—
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Even the most emotionally invested of us can get distracted.—
Verb
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According to West Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Chandan Kumar, officials are also working to help people in nearby villages relocate while wildlife experts attempt to track down the elephant.—
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Cutting, relocating, sprinting into space.—
Verb
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The 40-year-old cooks up ways to make quarterbacks miserable in his sleep, devising schemes that are meant to lure as much as they are intended to confuse.—
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Canales-Pelaez said that local departments may be confusing administrative warrants with criminal ones, or overcomplying to avoid backlash from the state Legislature.—
Cite this Entry
“Disturb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disturb. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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