disturb definition

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)

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

Derived terms

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

(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

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