disrupted; disrupting; disrupts
1
2
a
: to interrupt the normal course or unity of
… disrupted a bridge game by permanently hiding up the ace of spades …—
Scott Fitzgerald
Scott Fitzgerald
b
business
: to cause upheaval in (an industry, market, etc.)
The banking industry, on the other hand, is being disrupted by a breakdown of the model of paying money on deposits and taking interest on loans.—Cromwell Schubarth
Cromwell Schubarth
specifically
: to successfully challenge (established businesses, products, or services) by using an innovation (such as a new technology or business model) to gain a foothold in a marginal or new segment of the market and then fundamentally changing the nature of the market
In contrast, the digital technologies that allowed personal computers to disrupt minicomputers improved much more quickly; Compaq was able to increase revenue more than tenfold and reach parity with the industry leader, DEC, in only 12 years. —Clayton M. Christensen et al.
Clayton M. Christensen et al. … this innovative service that might disrupt the industry comes at the low end of the product/service/technology, a place where these high-end consumers have neither interest nor experience. This low-end attack, which initially does not attract much attention, might grow to be a high quality service that supplants the incumbent. —Eitan Muller
Eitan Muller
disrupter
noun
or less commonly disruptor
Synonyms
Examples of disrupt in a Sentence
The barking dogs disrupted my sleep.
The weather disrupted our travel plans.
a chemical that disrupts cell function
Recent Examples on the Web
Republicans have already put forth 120 lawsuits in 26 states to curb, challenge, and disrupt the 2024 returns.
—Jeff Raikes, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
In Kansas, Emily faces a world disrupted by drought, dust storms and a personal tragedy that leaves her beloved niece on their doorstep.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
Scheuer allegedly hacked into Disney’s menu creation servers multiple times to manipulate and disrupt the menus, such as changing prices and adding profane language.
—John Towfighi, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
Just as entertainment businesses were disrupted by the global health crisis, so too were the courts, Sammataro said, compounding the typical tedium.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for disrupt 
Jeff Raikes, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
In Kansas, Emily faces a world disrupted by drought, dust storms and a personal tragedy that leaves her beloved niece on their doorstep.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
Scheuer allegedly hacked into Disney’s menu creation servers multiple times to manipulate and disrupt the menus, such as changing prices and adding profane language.
—John Towfighi, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
Just as entertainment businesses were disrupted by the global health crisis, so too were the courts, Sammataro said, compounding the typical tedium.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for disrupt
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disrupt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Disrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disrupt. Accessed 3 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
disrupt
verb
dis·rupt
dis-ˈrəpt 
: to throw into disorder
disrupted the class
disrupter
noun
disruptively
adverb
disruptiveness
noun
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