disturb
B1neutral (used across formal, informal, and technical contexts)
Definition
Meaning
to interrupt the normal arrangement, functioning, or peace of something or someone
to cause someone to feel anxious, upset, or unsettled; to interfere with a process or activity
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often implies an unwanted or negative interruption. Can refer to physical disruption (e.g., disturbing papers) or psychological/emotional disruption (e.g., disturbing thoughts).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal lexical differences. Spelling is identical. Slight preference in British English for 'disturb' in formal notices (e.g., 'Do not disturb'), whereas American English may also use 'bother' in some informal contexts.
Connotations
Similar connotations in both varieties. In both, 'disturbed' as an adjective can refer to mental/emotional upset.
Frequency
Comparably frequent in both dialects. Slightly higher frequency in American English corpora, but not statistically significant for learners.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
disturb + NP (object)disturb + NP + prepositional phrase (e.g., disturb someone in their work)be disturbed + to-infinitive (e.g., I was disturbed to hear...)be disturbed + by-phraseVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Do not disturb”
- “Disturb the peace”
- “Let sleeping dogs lie (conceptually related)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in contexts of workflow disruption: 'The merger will disturb our current supply chain.'
Academic
Used in social sciences and psychology: 'The findings disturbed the prevailing theory.'
Everyday
Common for interruptions: 'Sorry to disturb you, but dinner is ready.'
Technical
Used in physics/engineering: 'The magnetic field was disturbed by the external charge.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Please do not disturb the wildlife in the nature reserve.
- I didn't want to disturb her while she was revising.
American English
- Don't disturb your brother while he's on a work call.
- The construction noise really disturbed my concentration.
adverb
British English
- N/A (not standard). 'Disturbingly' is the derived adverb.
- He looked at her disturbingly.
American English
- N/A (not standard). 'Disturbingly' is the derived adverb.
- The data was disturbingly inconsistent.
adjective
British English
- He had a disturbed night's sleep due to the storm.
- The police were called to a disturbed domestic incident.
American English
- She was emotionally disturbed by the news report.
- The disturbed soil indicated recent activity.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Do not disturb the baby, she is sleeping.
- Loud music can disturb the neighbours.
- I'm sorry to disturb you, but your phone is ringing.
- The bad news disturbed him all day.
- The introduction of the new species disturbed the local ecosystem's balance.
- She was deeply disturbed by the graphic images in the documentary.
- The researcher's controversial findings disturbed the academic consensus on the topic.
- Investors were disturbed by the volatility of the emerging market.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a STURDY table. To DISTURB is to make it NOT STURDY—to disrupt its stable state.
Conceptual Metaphor
PEACE IS CALM WATER; DISTURBING IS MAKING RIPPLES/WAVES.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid overusing 'беспокоить' for minor interruptions; 'disturb' is stronger. Do not confuse with 'distract' (отвлекать). The adjective 'disturbed' (расстроенный, психически неуравновешенный) is much stronger than the verb.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'disturb' for positive surprises (incorrect: *The gift disturbed me happily). Confusing 'disturb' (interrupt negatively) with 'distract' (divert attention). Incorrect preposition: *disturb on something (correct: disturb someone during something).
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'disturb' CORRECTLY?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Disturb' often implies a more significant interruption of peace, order, or mental state. 'Bother' is generally lighter, more about causing mild annoyance or inconvenience.
Rarely. Its core meaning is negative or neutral at best (interruption). Using it for positive surprises is non-standard and confusing.
It is neutral. It is appropriate in formal contexts (e.g., 'disturb the equilibrium') and everyday speech (e.g., 'don't disturb me').
The main noun is 'disturbance' (e.g., 'a public disturbance'). 'Disturb' itself is primarily a verb.