Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense disturbs, present participle disturbing, past tense, past participle disturbed
1. verb
If you disturb someone, you interrupt what they are doing and upset them.
I hope I'm not disturbing you. [VERB noun]
Find a quiet, warm, comfortable room where you won't be disturbed. [VERB noun]
2. verb
If something disturbs you, it makes you feel upset or worried.
I dream about him, dreams so vivid that they disturb me for days. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: upset, concern, worry, trouble More Synonyms of disturb
3. verb
If something is disturbed, its position or shape is changed.
He'd placed his notes in the brown envelope. They hadn't been disturbed. [beVERB-ed]
She patted Mona, taking care not to disturb her costume. [VERB noun]
4. verb
If something disturbs a situation or atmosphere, it spoils it or causes trouble.
Neither Baker nor Levy seemed eager to disturb the cordial atmosphere by discussingmore sensitive issues. [VERB noun]
What could possibly disturb such tranquility? [VERB noun]
5.
See to disturb the peace
More Synonyms of disturb
disturb in British English
(dɪˈstɜːb)
verb(transitive)
1.
to intrude on; interrupt
2.
to destroy or interrupt the quietness or peace of
3.
to disarrange; muddle
4. (often passive)
to upset or agitate; trouble
I was disturbed at the bad news
5.
to inconvenience; put out
don't disturb yourself on my account
Derived forms
disturber (disˈturber)
noun
Word origin
C13: from Latin disturbāre, from dis-1 + turbāre to confuse
disturb in American English
(dɪˈstɜrb)
verb transitive
1.
to break up the quiet or serenity of; agitate (what is quiet or still)
2.
to upset mentally or emotionally; make uneasy or anxious
3.
to break up the settled order or orderly working of
to disturb the books on a shelf
4.
to break in on; interrupt
5.
to inconvenience
don't disturb yourself
SYNONYMY NOTE: disturb implies the unsettling of normal mental calm or powers of concentration by worry,interruption, etc. [to disturb one's train of thought]; discompose implies the upsetting of one's self-possession [her sudden outburst discomposed him]; to perturb is to cause to have a troubled or alarmed feeling [the bad news perturbed him]; agitate suggests an arousing of intense mental or emotional excitement [he was so agitated, he could not answer]
Derived forms
disturber (disˈturber)
noun
Word origin
ME distourben < OFr distourber < L disturbare, to drive asunder < dis-, intens. + turbare, to disorder < turba, a crowd, mob: see turbid
Examples of 'disturb' in a sentence
disturb
How do we get at him without disturbing the peace?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
On the big screen, it is something more disturbing and cold.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Many blame noisy neighbours for disturbing the peace, with a quarter of those polled moving house to get away from them.
The Sun (2016)
The world they told him about is disturbing.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The arming of the populace guaranteed rather than disturbed the peace.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Yet there is something disturbing about the show.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The happy economic news is accompanied by disturbing news on a variety of fronts.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Do not be afraid of disturbing dreams.
Lutzner, Dr Helmut Successful Fasting -the easy way to cleanse your body of its poisons (1990)
It does not disturb the peace of rivers as much as canoes and larger river traffic.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Yet there is also something disturbing in the sudden and extreme glamour conferred by an early death.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It disturbs the peace of any lover of clarity.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
What if he sees something disturbing in a picture?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He was nicked for disturbing the peace and criminal damage.
The Sun (2013)
There was something deeply disturbing about the trial by tabloid dished out to him last week.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Myths about the disturbing effects of the full moon on behaviour abound but evidence for any biological foundation has remained elusive.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
That disturbing dream has become reality.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This upsets and disturbs the Fifa family.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Meanwhile, disturbing news arrives that our horses are depressed.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
One ill-judged line can upset morale and disturb the team equilibrium.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
What is particularly disturbing about this weather set-up is the behaviour of the atmosphere a few miles high.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He has disturbing cheese dreams.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
When Pharaoh had his dream, the dream disturbed him.
Christianity Today (2000)
In other languages
disturb
British English: disturb /dɪˈstɜːb/ VERB
If you disturb someone, you interrupt what they are doing and cause them inconvenience.
She slept in a separate room in order not to disturb him.
sorry to disturb you对(對)不起，打扰(擾)您了 (duìbúqǐ, dǎrǎo nín le)
请勿将 interrupt 与 disturb 混淆。如果你 interrupt 某个正在讲话的人，表示你说或做某事打断他们讲话。 He tried to speak, but she interrupted him. 如果想要跟某个正在讲话或开会的人谈话，正确的表达是 Sorry to interrupt. 如果 interrupt 某个过程或者活动，就意味着使它中断一段时间。 The match took nearly three hours and was interrupted at times by rain. 如果 disturb 某人，就是使他们停止了正在做的事情并且令他们感到不快。 Find a quiet, warm, comfortable room where you won't be disturbed.
1 (verb)
Definition
to inconvenience
I didn't want to disturb you.
Synonyms
interrupt
`Sorry to interrupt, Colonel.'
trouble
‘Good morning. I'm sorry to trouble you.’
bother
I don't know why he bothers me with this kind of rubbish.
startle
plague
I'm not going to plague you with a lot of questions.
disrupt
Anti-war protests disrupted the debate.
put out
interfere with
rouse
He did more to rouse the crowd than anybody else.
hassle
The children started hassling me as soon as I sat down.
inconvenience
He promised not to inconvenience them any further.
pester
He's always hanging round and pestering me.
intrude on
butt in on
2 (verb)
Definition
to upset or worry
He had been disturbed by the news of the attack.
Synonyms
upset
She warned me not to say anything to upset him.
concern
It concerned her that Bess was going out so much.
worry
‘Why didn't you tell us?’ – ‘Didn't want to worry you.’
trouble
Is anything troubling you?
shake
The news of his escape had shaken them all.
excite
alarm
We could not see what had alarmed him.
confuse
She was confused by this new turn of events.
distress
I did not want to frighten or distress her.
distract
Another story of hers distracts me.
dismay
unsettle
The presence of the two police officers unsettled her.
agitate
ruffle
confound
unnerve
The news about Dermot had unnerved me.
vex
Everything about that man vexes me.
fluster
She was calm. Nothing could fluster her.
perturb
He didn't seem to be perturbed by the news.
derange
discompose
Opposites
calm
,
relieve
,
reassure
,
settle
,
quiet
,
relax
,
compose
,
soothe
,
lull
,
pacify
,
quieten
3 (verb)
Definition
to disarrange
His notes had not been disturbed.
Synonyms
muddle
Already some people have begun to muddle the two names.
disorder
mix up
mess up
disorganize
jumble up
disarrange
muss (US, Canadian)
4 (verb)
a gentle wave or two disturbing the surface
Synonyms
ruffle
My refusal to let him ruffle me infuriated him.
stir up
agitate
The thought of them inheriting all these things agitated her.
churn up
Additional synonyms
in the sense of agitate
Definition
to excite, disturb, or trouble
The thought of them inheriting all these things agitated her.
Synonyms
upset,
worry,
trouble,
disturb,
excite,
alarm,
stimulate,
distract,
rouse,
ruffle,
inflame,
incite,
unnerve,
disconcert,
disquiet,
fluster,
perturb,
faze,
work someone up,
give someone grief (British, South Africa),
arouse,
ferment
in the sense of alarm
Definition
to fill with fear
We could not see what had alarmed him.
Synonyms
frighten,
shock,
scare,
panic,
distress,
terrify,
startle,
rattle,
dismay,
daunt,
unnerve,
terrorize,
put the wind up (informal),
give (someone) a turn (informal),
scare the bejesus out of (informal),
make (someone's) hair stand on end
in the sense of bother
Definition
to trouble (a person) by repeatedly disturbing
I don't know why he bothers me with this kind of rubbish.