Meanings
present singular third person disturbs · participle present disturbing · participle past disturbed · past disturbed
- transitiveto confuse a quiet, constant state or a calm, continuous flow, in particular: thoughts, actions or liquids.
A school of fish disturbed the water.
2 more examples
The noisy ventilation disturbed me during the exam.
The performance was disturbed twice by a ringing mobile phone.
Synonyms: perturb, unsettle, agitate, freak, sting, bother, bring down, discompose
- transitiveto divert, redirect, or alter by disturbing.
The trauma disturbed his mind.
2 more examples
A mudslide disturbed the course of the river.
disturb his inmost counsels from their destined aim
1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC
- obsoletedisturbance
Instant without disturb they took alarm
1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
verbto confuse a quiet, constant state or a calm, continuous flow, in particular: thoughts, actions or liquids.
More synonyms by meaning
verbchange the arrangement or position of
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)twerH-
- Latindisturbare
- Old Frenchdestorber
- Anglo-Normandistourber
- Middle Englishdestourben
- Englishdisturb
From Middle English destourben, from Anglo-Norman distourber and Old French destorber, from Latin disturbare, intensifying for turbare (“to throw into disorder”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)twerH-, *(s)turH- (“to rotate, swirl, twirl, move around”).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ταράσσω, ὀχλέω
- ταράσσω (tarássō)confuse or irritate
- ὀχλέω (okhléō)confuse or irritate
Bulgarian безпокоя, смущавам
- безпокоя (bezpokoja)confuse or irritate
- смущавам (smuštavam)confuse or irritate
- тревожа (trevoža)have negative emotional impact
Catalan molestar
- molestarconfuse or irritate
Chinese Mandarin 打擾 /打扰
- 打擾 /打扰 (dǎrǎo)confuse or irritate
Czech rušit
- rušitconfuse or irritate
Danish forstyrre, forstyrre
- forstyrreconfuse or irritate
- forstyrrehave negative emotional impact
Dutch storen, verstoren
- storenconfuse or irritate
- verstorenconfuse or irritate
Esperanto perturbi, angorigi
- perturbiconfuse or irritate
- angorigihave negative emotional impact
Finnish häiritä, hämmentää
- häiritäconfuse or irritate
- hämmentääconfuse or irritate
- sekoittaaconfuse or irritate
- järkyttäähave negative emotional impact
- häiritähave negative emotional impact
French déranger, perturber
- dérangerconfuse or irritate
- perturberconfuse or irritate
- gênerconfuse or irritate
- perturberhave negative emotional impact
- dérangerhave negative emotional impact
German stören
- störenconfuse or irritate
Greek ενοχλώ
- ενοχλώ (enochló)confuse or irritate
Hebrew הפריע
- הפריע (hifría)confuse or irritate
Hungarian zavar
- zavarconfuse or irritate
Irish cuir isteach ar
- cuir isteach arconfuse or irritate
Italian disturbare
- disturbareconfuse or irritate
Japanese 乱す
- 乱す (midasu)confuse or irritate
Korean 방해하다
- 방해하다 (banghaehada)confuse or irritate
Latin turbō
- turbōconfuse or irritate
Latvian traucēt
- traucētconfuse or irritate
Lithuanian trukdyti
- trukdyticonfuse or irritate
Malay ganggu, kacau
- gangguconfuse or irritate
- kacauconfuse or irritate
- usikconfuse or irritate
Māori kaitorohi, kautorohi
- kaitorohiconfuse or irritate
- kautorohiconfuse or irritate
- whakahārangiconfuse or irritate
- ueueconfuse or irritate
- whakahīoiconfuse or irritate
- whakatōheneheneconfuse or irritate
Norwegian forstyrre
- forstyrreconfuse or irritate
Persian مزاحم شدن
- مزاحم شدنconfuse or irritate
Polish przeszkadzać, niepokoić
- przeszkadzaćconfuse or irritate
- niepokoićconfuse or irritate
- martwićhave negative emotional impact
- zmartwićhave negative emotional impact
- niepokoićhave negative emotional impact
- zaniepokoićhave negative emotional impact
Portuguese perturbar
- perturbarconfuse or irritate
Romanian deranja, deranja
- deranjaconfuse or irritate
- deranjahave negative emotional impact
Russian меша́ть, беспоко́ить
- меша́ть (mešátʹ)confuse or irritate
- беспоко́ить (bespokóitʹ)confuse or irritate
- возмуща́ть (vozmuščátʹ)confuse or irritate
- трево́жить (trevóžitʹ)confuse or irritate
- смуща́ть (smuščátʹ)confuse or irritate
- тревожить (trevožitʹ)have negative emotional impact
- потревожить (potrevožitʹ)have negative emotional impact
Scottish Gaelic buair, cuir dragh air
- buairconfuse or irritate
- cuir dragh airconfuse or irritate
- cuir dragh airhave negative emotional impact
Spanish molestar, disturbar
- molestarconfuse or irritate
- disturbarconfuse or irritate
- conturbarconfuse or irritate
- estorbarconfuse or irritate
- importunarconfuse or irritate
- disturbarhave negative emotional impact
Swedish störa
- störaconfuse or irritate
Tagalog gambala, abala
- gambalaconfuse or irritate
- abalaconfuse or irritate
Thai รบกวน
- รบกวน (róp-guuan)confuse or irritate
Turkish rahatsız etmek
- rahatsız etmekconfuse or irritate
Ukrainian турбува́ти, міша́ти
- турбува́ти (turbuváty)confuse or irritate
- міша́ти (mišáty)confuse or irritate
- триво́жити (tryvóžyty)confuse or irritate
- перешкоджа́ти (pereškodžáty)confuse or irritate
- непоко́їти (nepokójity)confuse or irritate
Vietnamese làm phiền, quấy rầy
- làm phiềnconfuse or irritate
- quấy rầyconfuse or irritate
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with disturb
All rhymes →Cite this entry
disturb. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disturb
“disturb.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disturb. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “disturb,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disturb.
Source: disturb on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.