Disturb
To interrupt the normal course or functioning of something; to interfere with or upset someone or something.
verbDisturb
To interrupt the normal course or functioning of something; to interfere with or upset someone or something.
verbImagine This
Imagine you're studying in a quiet library and a phone suddenly rings, shattering the silence and disturbing your concentration.
Sounds Like
dih-STURB
Looks Like
looks like related terms such as disturbance or disturbing; shares the root turb- meaning to agitate
Remember This
Disturb is commonly used with sleep, concentration, peace, or the smooth running of an activity. A common legal phrase is disturb the peace.
Other Forms
Connect With
interrupt, disrupt, upset, unsettled, interfere with, disturbance, turbulence
Note
Disturb is transitive and usually takes an object (someone or something): 'disturb someone', 'disturb the sleep', 'disturb the meeting'. Do not confuse with similar-sounding words like 'distinguish' or 'distaste'. In phrases like 'disturb the peace', it takes on a formal, often legal meaning.
Study Deeper
- The loud construction outside disturbed the students' concentration during the exam.
- A sudden phone call disturbed her while she was drafting the report.
From Latin disturbare, dis- ('apart') + turbare ('to agitate'); related to turb- in turbulent, turbulence, disturbance. The sense is to throw into disorder or agitation.
Dis TURB: Disturb means to introduce turbulence into a calm situation; remember by thinking: when you disturb something, you stir up TURBulence.
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