Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

disturb

/dɪˈstɜːb/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.56 in modern English

Syllables
dis-turb
IPA
/dɪˈstɜːb/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

to confuse a quiet, constant state or a calm, continuous flow, in particular: thoughts, actions or liquids.

Transitive verb

verb

to divert, redirect, or alter by disturbing.

Transitive verb

verb

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

Intransitive verb

noun

disturbance

Obsolete

Example Sentences

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”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: destourben, distourber, destorber, disturbare, *twerH-

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /dɪˈstɜːb/
  • British English: /dɪˈstɜːb/

Usage

Inflected Forms

disturbs (present, singular) disturbing (participle, present) disturbed (participle, past) disturbed (past)

Derived Forms

disturbability disturbable disturbance disturbative disturbed disturber disturbing redisturb

Phrases

disturb the peace do not disturb

Frequently Paired Words

perturb turbation turbid turbine

Synonyms

perturb unsettle agitate freak sting bother bring down discompose unstring disconcert enturbulate disturb

Rhymes With

superb curb herb verb serb reverb blurb kerb erb perturb erbe refurb

Questions

How do you pronounce disturb?
The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈstɜːb/.
What does disturb mean?
to confuse a quiet, constant state or a calm, continuous flow, in particular: thoughts, actions or liquids.
Where does disturb come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce disturb

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “disturb”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪˈstɜːb/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “disturb”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “disturb” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.