Standard Lemma guide

disruption

noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪsˈɹʌpʃən/
  • UK: /dɪzˈɹʌpʃən/
  • UK: /dɪzˈɹʊpʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /dɪsˈɹʌpʃən/
  • rhymes with -ʌpʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S R AH1 P SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An interruption to the regular flow or sequence of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The network created a disruption in the show when they broke in with a newscast.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A continuing act of disorder.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • There was great disruption in the classroom when the teacher left.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A breaking or bursting apart; a breach.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • it was presented without commercial breaks
  • there was a gap in his account

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: break, interruption, gap

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: delay, holdup

Narrower terms: cut-in, insert, interjection, interposition, interpolation, interpellation, breaking off, abruption, heckling, barracking

5

noun

Meaning 5

the act of causing disorder

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perturbation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disturbance

Narrower terms: dislocation, breakdown, surprise, surprisal

6

noun

Meaning 6

an event that results in a displacement or discontinuity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dislocation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: interruption, break

7

noun

Meaning 7

a disorderly outburst or tumult

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they were amazed by the furious disturbance they had caused

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disturbance, commotion, flutter, hurly burly, to-do, hoo-ha, hoo-hah, kerfuffle

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disorder

Narrower terms: convulsion, turmoil, upheaval, earthquake, incident, stir, splash, storm, tempest, storm center, storm centre, tumult, tumultuousness, uproar, garboil

History

Etymology

From Latin disruptionem, from disrumpere. By surface analysis, disrupt + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

63 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: прекъсване (prekǎsvane) — interruption
  • Bulgarian: разрив (razriv) — interruption
  • Catalan: interrupció — interruption
  • Catalan: disrupció — interruption
  • Dutch: onderbreking — interruption
  • Dutch: ontregeling — interruption
  • Finnish: sekasorto — interruption
  • Finnish: hajaannus — interruption
  • French: interruption — interruption
  • French: perturbation — interruption
  • French: rupture — interruption
  • French: disruption — interruption
  • German: Unterbrechung — interruption
  • German: Störung — interruption
  • German: Störfaktor — interruption
  • German: Disruption — interruption
  • Hindi: विघटन (vighṭan) — interruption
  • Hindi: रुकावट (rukāvaṭ) — interruption
  • Hungarian: megszakítás — interruption
  • Hungarian: fennakadás — interruption
  • Hungarian: zavar — interruption
  • Hungarian: üzemzavar — interruption
  • Italian: disruzione — interruption
  • Italian: rottura — interruption
  • Italian: violazione — interruption
  • Italian: interruzione — interruption
  • Norwegian Bokmål: brudd — interruption
  • Persian: گسیختگی — interruption
  • Persian: انقطاع — interruption
  • Polish: zakłócenie — interruption
  • Portuguese: disrupção — interruption
  • Portuguese: ruptura — interruption
  • Russian: наруше́ние (narušénije) — interruption
  • Russian: срыв (sryv) — interruption
  • Russian: разры́в (razrýv) — interruption
  • Serbo-Croatian: disrupcija — interruption
  • Serbo-Croatian: narušenje — interruption
  • Spanish: quebranto — interruption
  • Spanish: incidente — interruption
  • Spanish: ruptura — interruption
  • Spanish: interrupción — interruption
  • Spanish: disrupción — interruption
  • Turkish: inkıta — interruption
  • Turkish: kesilme — interruption
  • Turkish: kesinti — interruption
  • Bulgarian: безредие (bezredie) — disorder
  • Catalan: desordre — disorder
  • Dutch: wanorde — disorder
  • German: Durcheinander — disorder
  • German: Unordnung — disorder
  • Hindi: व्यूहभंग (vyūhbhaṅg) — disorder
  • Hungarian: zűrzavar — disorder
  • Hungarian: felfordulás — disorder
  • Italian: scompiglio — disorder
  • Italian: sconvolgimento — disorder
  • Italian: disservizio — disorder
  • Norwegian Bokmål: uorden — disorder
  • Russian: расстро́йство (rasstrójstvo) — disorder
  • Spanish: desorden — disorder
  • Spanish: desorganización — disorder
  • Spanish: desarreglo — disorder
  • Turkish: düzensizlik — disorder
  • Turkish: karmaşa — disorder