disruption

disruption — noun

1. Any event or condition that stops a planned activity, service, or process from c

1.nounB2
Definition

Any event or condition that stops a planned activity, service, or process from carrying on as usual, or makes it much harder for it to do so.

Example

The train strike caused major disruption for thousands of commuters across the city.

cause + major disruption for + noun group

Asher gave up on his report because street noise was too much of a disruption.

countable: a disruption

Common collocations
  • major disruption
  • serious disruption
  • minor disruption
  • cause disruption
  • suffer disruption
  • face disruption
  • disruption to travel
  • disruption to services
Synonyms
  • interruption

    More neutral; disruption suggests greater difficulty or chaos than interruption.

  • disturbance

    Often implies noise or movement that bothers people, not necessarily a full halt of activity.

  • breakdown

    Implies a complete failure of a system, not just an obstacle to its normal flow.

Antonyms
  • continuity

    The smooth, uninterrupted flow of an activity or process.

Grammar Patterns

cause / suffer / face / experience disruption

disruption + to + noun phrase

Usage Note

Can be either uncountable (disruption in general) or countable with 'a/an' (a specific disruptive event). The preposition 'to' is common after the noun: 'disruption to services', 'disruption to travel plans'.

Common Mistakes

The power cut caused disruption to happened.
The power cut caused disruption to the factory.
'disruption to' is followed by a noun phrase, not a verb.
There was disruption on the traffic.
There was disruption to the traffic.
Use 'to', not 'on', after 'disruption' when talking about traffic, transport, or services.

2. A fundamental change to how a particular area of business operates, caused by ne

2.nounB2
Definition

A fundamental change to how a particular area of business operates, caused by new products or technology that make older methods less important or unnecessary.

Example

Streaming services caused a huge disruption in the traditional television industry.

disruption in + [industry]

Takeshi wrote about how mobile payment apps brought disruption to the banking sector.

lead to disruption in + [sector]

Common collocations
  • technological disruption
  • disruption in the market
  • disruption to the industry
  • cause disruption
  • bring about disruption
  • digital disruption
  • lead to disruption
Synonyms
  • transformation

    Broader term; does not necessarily imply that something is replaced or overthrown.

  • upheaval

    Stronger and more emotional; suggests a difficult or painful period of change.

  • revolution

    More dramatic; implies a sudden and complete change that affects everyone.

Grammar Patterns

disruption + in / to + noun phrase (industry / market / sector)

cause / create / bring about disruption

Usage Note

In this sense, disruption has a positive or neutral tone in business writing — it describes innovation and progress, not chaos. The adjective 'disruptive' and noun 'disruptor' are common in the same context. Distinguish from sense 1 by watching the object: an industry or market points to sense 2; a process, routine, or service points to sense 1.

Common Mistakes

The new app caused disruption of the hotel industry.
The new app caused disruption in the hotel industry.
Use 'in', not 'of', to introduce the affected industry or sector.
The meeting was a disruption to our schedule.' (when meaning a routine interruption)
Use sense 1 'disruption' (INTERRUPTION) for everyday schedules. Sense 2 is for whole industries and markets.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe something that breaks a normal state, but they differ in intensity and scope. 'Interruption' is the most neutral — a phone call during dinner is an interruption. 'Disturbance' adds an element of noise, movement, or bother: a loud party is a disturbance to the neighbours. 'Disruption' is stronger than both: it suggests that an activity or system is significantly blocked or made difficult, not just paused briefly. 'Disorder' is the strongest and implies a breakdown of control or organisation — crowds causing disorder in the streets. In everyday use, think of interruption as brief and mild, disruption as serious and prolonged, disturbance as noise-related, and disorder as chaotic. For example, a notification on your phone is an interruption; a power cut during an exam is a disruption; a barking dog next door is a disturbance; a riot is disorder.

disturbance ↗interruption ↗disruption ↗disorder ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • cause disruption
  • face disruption
  • suffer disruption
  • lead to disruption
  • bring about disruption
  • deal with disruption
  • avoid disruption

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'disruption' comes from Latin 'disrumpere', meaning 'to break apart' — a combination of 'dis-' (apart) and 'rumpere' (to break). It entered English in the mid-1600s with the literal meaning of a rupture or forcible separation. By the 1800s, it had broadened to mean a serious interruption of any kind. The modern business sense — positive change through innovation — became widespread in the late 20th century, especially after the 1997 book 'The Innovator's Dilemma'.