disturbance
pronunciation
How to pronounce disturbance in British English:
UK [dɪˈstɜːbəns]
How to pronounce disturbance in American English:
US [dɪˈstɜːrbəns]
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- Noun:
- activity that is an intrusion or interruption
- an unhappy and worried mental state
- a disorderly outburst or tumult
- a noisy fight
- the act of disturbing something or someone; setting something in motion
- (psychiatry) a psychological disorder of thought or emotion; a more neutral term than mental illness
- electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication
Word Origin
- disturbance (n.)
- late 13c., "mental distress," from Old French destorbance (12c., Old North French distorbance), from destourber, from Latin disturbare (see disturb). Meaning "public disturbance" is c. 1300; that of "destruction of peace or unity" is late 14c.
Example
- 1. Some travelers always request upper floors at hotels to lessen disturbance from street noise .
- 2. But what those agents are and how they cause the disturbance are challenging questions .
- 3. Few organizations today can treat change as the occasional disturbance in an otherwise calm and stable world .
- 4. Three-quarters report disturbance to their sleep , according to an australian survey .
- 5. A disturbance turns into a riot when a crowd gels into a mob people affirming and fuelling each other 's irrational frenzy .