disturb
1 of 1verb/dɪˈstɝb/
Forms:disturbs,disturbing,disturbed,disturbed
1
to trouble someone and make them uneasy
B2transitive- The unsettling images in the movie disturbed him for days afterward.
- The unsettling report from the doctor disturbed him.
- She tried not to be disturbed by the comments, but they stayed in her mind
- The tragic news disturbed her deeply, leaving her unable to focus.
- The eerie silence of the empty house disturbed him as he walked through.
2
to alter the position or shape of something
transitive- The wind disturbed the neatly stacked pile of papers, scattering them across the room.
- The gardener accidentally disturbed the soil, exposing the roots of the plants.
- She disturbed the stack of books while reaching for one at the bottom.
- The bird flew off as soon as the branch it perched on was disturbed.
- The fragile sculpture was disturbed by a slight bump, nearly knocking it over.
Synonyms:
3
to disrupt or alter the usual order or operation of something
transitive- The power outage disturbed the normal functioning of the office computers.
- The heavy rain disturbed the flow of traffic, causing major delays.
- The arrival of unexpected guests disturbed their evening plans.
- The malfunctioning equipment disturbed the production line, causing a halt in operations.
- The new regulations disturbed the balance of the market, affecting many businesses.
4
to cause inconvenience or disrupt someone’s comfort or routine
transitive- I hope my early call didn’t disturb your morning routine.
- She didn’t want to disturb her friend by asking for help late at night.
- The sudden request for additional documents disturbed the smooth progress of the project.
- He apologized for disturbing their lunch with his urgent question.
- The construction noise disturbed customers in the nearby café.
Synonyms: