How to Use disturb in a Sentence

disturb

verb
  • I'm sorry to disturb you at such a late hour.
  • She doesn't want to be disturbed while she's working.
  • Don't disturb the baby when he's sleeping.
  • The noise disturbed my concentration.
  • Your sleep was disturbed, and in a big way.
    — Laura Kiniry, Popular Science, 25 Mar. 2026
  • The adults will jump off, like a flea, when plants are disturbed.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 10 June 2026
  • Use a fork to flip the steaks, rather than tongs, which can disturb the crust.
    — Jessica Battilana, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 May 2021
  • The work that disturbs the most is of a translucent man.
    — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
  • In many cases, there is no need to disturb them at all.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 26 May 2026
  • Even the calmest of protests disturb the peace to some extent.
    — David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 15 June 2020
  • It's been a while since any boat wakes disturbed the water.
    — John Ramos, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
  • These won't disturb the deep roots of potatoes.
    — Heather Bien, Southern Living, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Think of it as a ‘do not disturb’ option for your brain.
    — Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Avoid spots where children and pets could disturb it or knock it over.
    — Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2020
  • Nothing seemed out of place or disturbed.
    — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026
  • Any bedroom item that is rarely cleaned or disturbed could be a haven.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Watching late at night and don’t want to disturb the rest of the house?
    — Maren Estrada, BGR, 8 Mar. 2021
  • Larger root crops can crowd out the roots of fruit trees, as well as disturb the soil.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 4 May 2026
  • Every night the lamb would cry, and be told to hush, for its bleats disturbed their sleep.
    — Karen Zautyk, New York Daily News, 24 Dec. 2024
  • If the dirt is disturbed the next day, the den is occupied.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 4 Feb. 2026
  • But there were disturbing signs in the weeks before the break.
    — Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 17 July 2025
  • The request was approved, but the mound was not to be disturbed.
    — Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Just look how the folds now are starting to disturb themselves.
    — Timothy Donnelly, The New Republic, 17 Mar. 2022
  • Use it around camp and to read at night without disturbing your tent mates.
    — James Lynch, Popular Mechanics, 30 Aug. 2019
  • Tremors disturb his upper body.
    — Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 11 May 2026
  • The point was to disturb the peace, to cause commotion and strife.
    — John Patrick Leary, The New Republic, 10 June 2020
  • A couple of bats dart around overhead, disturbed by the truck.
    — Jack Armstrong, The Arizona Republic, 17 Aug. 2024
  • That’s what disturbs you most about Garrett’s decade in charge.
    — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, 4 Jan. 2020
  • There are lots of things weightlessness disturbs, even in the short run.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Fighting for your idea at the risk of disturbing the peace in the room is hard.
    — Jem Aswad, Variety, 11 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disturb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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