disturb

verb

di-ˈstərb How to pronounce disturb (audio)
Definition of disturbnext
1
as in to bother
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy all that talk of war disturbed us

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb disturb contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of disturb are agitate, discompose, disquiet, fluster, perturb, and upset. While all these words mean "to destroy capacity for collected thought or decisive action," disturb implies interference with one's mental processes caused by worry, perplexity, or interruption.

the discrepancy in accounts disturbed me

When is it sensible to use agitate instead of disturb?

In some situations, the words agitate and disturb are roughly equivalent. However, agitate suggests obvious external signs of nervous or emotional excitement.

in his agitated state we could see he was unable to work

When is discompose a more appropriate choice than disturb?

The synonyms discompose and disturb are sometimes interchangeable, but discompose implies some degree of loss of self-control or self-confidence especially through emotional stress.

discomposed by the loss of his beloved wife

When can disquiet be used instead of disturb?

The meanings of disquiet and disturb largely overlap; however, disquiet suggests loss of sense of security or peace of mind.

the disquieting news of factories closing

When would fluster be a good substitute for disturb?

While the synonyms fluster and disturb are close in meaning, fluster suggests bewildered agitation.

his declaration of love completely flustered her

When could perturb be used to replace disturb?

Although the words perturb and disturb have much in common, perturb implies deep disturbance of mind and emotions.

perturbed by her husband's strange behavior

In what contexts can upset take the place of disturb?

The words upset and disturb can be used in similar contexts, but upset implies the disturbance of normal or habitual functioning by disappointment, distress, or grief.

the family's constant bickering upsets the youngest child

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disturb On top of that, harvesting root veggies may disturb apple tree roots. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2025 Like the shooter who killed four people and injured eight others in Grand Blanc Township and the shooter who killed Charlie Kirk, nearly all shooters exhibit or share threatening and disturbing signals prior to the attack. —Scott Peters, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025 Martin revealed the repeat offender's disturbing search history. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025 The plot was inspired by a Japanese news report that had deeply disturbed Woo, about a lunatic guilty of poisoning baby formula. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for disturb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disturb
  1. bother
  2. remove
  3. disrupt
  4. worry
  5. weigh
  6. distract
  7. relocate
  8. confuse
Verb
  • Not the kind of thrift store that’s actually thrifty, but the kind of thrift store that doesn’t have any price tags because the people who can afford to shop there don’t need to bother themselves with price tags.
    — Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Being a double Viking with Swedish and Norman blood on each side of my family, the cold never bothered me.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Definition of bother
Verb
  • Scientists have developed a new method that removes toxic pollutants from wastewater.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Its unique formula can remove stains, dissolve adhesives, and cut through soap scum and grease.
    — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2025
Definition of remove
Verb
  • The real passengers on the ship were not particularly delighted to have large camera cables and lights and people disrupting their vacations.
    — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Corn can provide carbohydrates, which can be vital to deer during the winter for a burst of energy, Edge said, but an increase in carbs can disrupt the animal's gut chemistry and affect digestion, much like giving children a lot of candy bars.
    — Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 27 Oct. 2025
Definition of disrupt
Verb
  • More broadly, the NBA has expressed concern about prop bets, while other sports leagues have worried about the potential for manipulation.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
  • After Trump spoke to Lurie, local leaders and advocates worried that Trump would shift his attention from San Francisco, which at one point hosted more billionaires than any other city, to less powerful and more diverse enclaves like Oakland and Alameda.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Definition of worry
Verb
  • The meetings offer the latest signs that Senate Democrats are still weighing how heavily to put their thumbs on the scale for a particular candidate.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Melodee Buzzard is described by police as being around 4 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing approximately 60 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
    — Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Definition of weigh
Verb
  • While some critics are skeptical of the claims amid a lack of publicly available evidence – suggesting instead that they are meant to distract from growing public discontent and protests against Noboa’s government – the president insisted to CNN the threat was real.
    — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
  • What Wednesday evening’s triumph also does is quieten the distracting outside noise that such a newsworthy club invariably attracts.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Definition of distract
Verb
  • If Doan’s Coyotes records were treated the same way Hawerchuk’s Jets records were, moving from one city to the next as a franchise relocated, then Utah Mammoth star Clayton Keller would be chasing him.
    — Murat Ates, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Dinosaur mummy zone Senior author of the study, Paul Sereno, PhD, Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago, and his team relocated the sites in east-central Wyoming where several famous dinosaur mummies were discovered in the early 20th century.
    — Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of relocate
Verb
  • One of the higher-ups felt my title Stairway to Heaven would be confused with the 1939 movie of the same name.
    — Cameron Crowe, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Historically, people disguised themselves in mystical and mythical ensembles time of year in order to confuse ghosts and deter them from wreaking havoc; the Celts even carved faces into vegetables to keep the entities away from their food.
    — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
Definition of confuse

Browse Nearby Words

distrusts
disturb
disturbance
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Cite this Entry

“Disturb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disturb. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

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