Disrupt

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /dɪsˈɹʌpt/, /dɪzˈɹʌpt/, /dɪzˈɹʊpt/

Origin

From Latin disruptus, from disrumpere, commonly dirumpere ("to break or burst asunder"), from dis-, di- ("apart, asunder") + rumpere ("to break").

Full definition of disrupt

Verb

1. (transitive) To throw into confusion or disorder.
   Hecklers disrupted the man's speech.
2. (transitive) To interrupt or impede.
• 2013-07-19, Ian Sample, Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains, Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits.  ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.
3. Work on the tunnel was disrupted by a strike.
4. To improve a product or service in ways that displaces an established one and surprises the market.The internet makes it easier for leaner businesses to disrupt the larger and more unwieldy ones.

Related terms

• disruptable, disruptible
• disruption
• disruptive

Adjective

1. (obsolete) Torn off or torn asunder; severed; disrupted.