disrupt

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin disruptus, from disrumpo, commonly dirumpo (“to break or burst asunder”), from dis-, di- (“apart, asunder”) + rumpo (“to break”).

verb

1. (transitive) To throw into confusion or disorder.
   Hecklers disrupted the man's speech.
2. (transitive) To interrupt or impede.
   Work on the tunnel was disrupted by a strike.
   The Glaswegians bore good-humouredly the mishaps which occasionally disrupted the services during the first month. 1961 February, “Talking of Trains: The Glasgow debacle”, in Trains Illustrated, page 66
   Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found. 2013-07-19, Ian Sample, “Irregular bedtimes may affect children’s brains”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 34
   In the Canadian and Alaskan Arctic region, where 2°C warming has already occurred since 1950, the loss of coastal sea ice and permafrost is disrupting traditional Inuit hunting routines. 2017, Anthony J. McMichael, Alistair Woodward, Cameron Muir, Climate Change and the Health of Nations, page 51
3. (transitive) To improve a product or service in ways that displace an established one and surprise the market.
   The internet makes it easier for leaner businesses to disrupt the larger and more unwieldy ones.

adj

1. (obsolete) Torn off or torn asunder; severed; disrupted.