disturb

A2 Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled sturb

US /dɪˈstɝb/ UK /dɪˈstɜːb/ See IPA manual

Freq #3826

Meanings

1

verb
To interrupt someone and stop them from working, resting, or sleeping.

Please do not disturb me while I am on the phone.
2

verb
To worry or upset someone.

The violent scenes in the film disturbed many viewers.
3

verb
To move something or change the way it is arranged.

Try not to disturb the papers on my desk.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to interrupt someone and... interrupt bother

2 verb · to worry or upset someone. trouble perturb

3 verb · to move something or change... shake upstir up

More upset

Word family

Forms disturbeddisturbs

Derived forms disturbabilitydisturbabledisturbancedisturbativedisturbeddisturber disturbingredisturb

Related forms perturbturbationturbid turbine

Simplified etymology

Disturb entered English in the Middle Ages and is related to Latin turba, “a crowd” or “disturbance.” It belongs to the same word family as trouble, perturb, turbid, and turbulent.

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”).

destourben Middle English distourber xno destorber Old French disturbare Latin *twerH- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# disturb

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈstɝb/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈstɜːb/
**Frequency rank:** 3826

## Meanings
1. To interrupt someone and stop them from working, resting, or sleeping.
2. To worry or upset someone.
3. To move something or change the way it is arranged.

## Examples
- Please do not disturb me while I am on the phone.
- The violent scenes in the film disturbed many viewers.
- Try not to disturb the papers on my desk.

## Synonyms
- upset

## Derived Forms
- disturbability
- disturbable
- disturbance
- disturbative
- disturbed
- disturber
- disturbing
- redisturb

## Related Forms
- perturb
- turbation
- turbid
- turbine

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: destourben
- Root: distourber
- Root: destorber
- Root: disturbare
- Root: *twerH-

## 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”).

## AI Etymology
Disturb comes 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”). In current use, the main senses are “To interrupt someone and stop them from working, resting, or sleeping” and “To worry or upset someone”.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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