disturb

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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).

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

disturb (third-person singular simple present disturbs, present participle disturbing, simple past and past participle disturbed)

  1. (transitive) to confuse a quiet, constant state or a calm, continuous flow, in particular: thoughts, actions or liquids.
    The noisy ventilation disturbed me during the exam.
    The performance was disturbed twice by a ringing mobile phone.
    A school of fish disturbed the water.
  2. (transitive) to divert, redirect, or alter by disturbing.
    A mudslide disturbed the course of the river.
    The trauma disturbed his mind.
  3. (intransitive) to have a negative emotional impact; to cause emotional distress or confusion.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

disturb

  1. (obsolete) disturbance