disturb

English

Etymology

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

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈstɜːb/
• (US) IPA^(key): /dɪˈstɝb/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)b

Verb

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.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     disturb his inmost counsels from their destined aim

3. (intransitive) to have a negative emotional impact; to cause emotional distress or confusion.

Derived terms

• disturbance
• disturbed
• disturbing
• disturb the peace
• do not disturb

 

Translations

confuse or irritate

• Albanian: shqetësoj (sq)
• Armenian: խանգարել (hy) (xangarel)
• Azerbaijani: mane olmaq
• Belarusian: турбава́ць impf (turbavácʹ), мяша́ць impf (mjašácʹ), непако́іць impf (njepakóicʹ), трыво́жыць impf (tryvóžycʹ), перашкаджа́ць impf (pjeraškadžácʹ)
• Bulgarian: безпокоя (bg) (bezpokoja), смущавам (bg) (smuštavam)
• Catalan: molestar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 打擾／打扰 (zh) (dǎrǎo)

• Classical Nahuatl: cuehzoa, tolinia
• Czech: rušit (cs)
• Danish: forstyrre
• Dutch: storen (nl), verstoren (nl)
• Finnish: häiritä (fi), hämmentää (fi) (a liquid), sekoittaa (fi)
• French: déranger (fr), perturber (fr), gêner (fr)
• German: stören (de)
• Greek: ενοχλώ (el) (enochló)

  Ancient: ταράσσω (tarássō)

• Hebrew: הפריע‎ (hifría)
• Hungarian: zavar (hu)
• Ido: trublar (io)
• Japanese: 乱す (ja) (みだす, midasu)
• Korean: 방해하다 (ko) (banghaehada)
• Latin: turbō (la)
• Latvian: traucēt
• Lithuanian: trukdyti
• Malay: ganggu (ms), kacau, usik
• Maori: kaitorohi, kautorohi, whakahārangi, ueue, whakahīoi, whakatōhenehene
• Norman: dêrangi
• Norwegian: forstyrre (no)
• Old Turkic: 𐰉𐰆𐰞𐰍𐰀‎ (bulɣa-)
• Persian: مزاحم شدن‎ (fa)
• Phoenician: 𐤓𐤂𐤆‎ (rgz)
• Polish: przeszkadzać (pl) impf, niepokoić (pl) impf
• Portuguese: perturbar (pt)
• Romanian: deranja (ro)
• Russian: меша́ть (ru) impf (mešátʹ), беспоко́ить (ru) impf (bespokóitʹ), возмуща́ть (ru) impf (vozmuščátʹ), трево́жить (ru) impf (trevóžitʹ), смуща́ть (ru) impf (smuščátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: buair, cuir dragh air
• Spanish: perturbar (es), molestar (es)
• Swedish: störa (sv)
• Tagalog: gambala, abala (tl)
• Thai: รบกวน (th) (róp-guuan)
• Turkish: rahatsız etmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: турбува́ти impf (turbuváty), міша́ти impf (mišáty), триво́жити impf (tryvóžyty), перешкоджа́ти impf (pereškodžáty), непоко́їти impf (nepokójity)

have negative emotional impact

• Albanian: shqetësoj (sq)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: тревожа (bg) (trevoža)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Danish: forstyrre
• Esperanto: angorigi
• Finnish: järkyttää (fi), häiritä (fi)
• French: perturber (fr), déranger (fr)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: martwić (pl) impf, zmartwić pf, niepokoić (pl) impf, zaniepokoić pf
• Romanian: deranja (ro)
• Russian: тревожить (ru) impf (trevožitʹ), потревожить (ru) pf (potrevožitʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: cuir dragh air

Noun

disturb

1. (obsolete) disturbance
   • 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the book number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Instant without disturb they took alarm