Basic Details
Word: Disturbance
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Something that interrupts peace, quiet or normal order; also a noisy or violent public commotion.
Synonyms: disruption, interruption, commotion, upset
Antonyms: peace, calm, order
Word origin: From Old French destourbance, from Latin disturbare, to throw into disorder.
How to Spell Disturbance
Syllables: dis - turb - ance
Tricky part: The ending is ance, not ence. Students also write distirbance because the ur sound can be spelt in many ways.
Watch out for: disturbence, distirbance, disturbanse
Memory tip: Disturbance ends like dance. Loud music from a dance next door can cause a disturbance.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Please work quietly so there is no disturbance to the class next door.
Example 2: The police were called to a disturbance outside the cinema.
Example 3: Even a small disturbance can wake a sleeping baby.
Fun Fact
Disturb goes back to Latin turba, a crowd or uproar, which also gave English the word turbulent.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these words takes the suffix ance to make a noun:
ance
a) insist
b) persist
c) exist
d) disturb
Show answer
d) disturb. Persist, insist and exist all take ence: persistence, insistence, existence.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word disturbance as used in the sentence:
The late-night drumming caused a disturbance in our quiet lane.
a) calm
b) uproar
c) commotion
d) noise
Show answer
a) calm. Calm is the peaceful state that the drumming broke.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Heavy traffic on the main road is a constant cbsdeurtnai for the hospital.
a) abundance
b) distraction
c) distribution
d) disturbance
Show answer
d) disturbance. The jumble has a t and an r as well as a b, so abundance is out, and with no o it cannot be distraction or distribution.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In a library, a disturbance could be caused by ____.
a) a phone ringing loudly
b) a book left on a shelf
c) a lamp lit on a desk
d) a student reading quietly
Show answer
a) a phone ringing loudly
2. If something disturbs you, it ____.
a) gives you more time
b) makes you feel proud
c) interrupts or worries you
d) helps you fall asleep
Show answer
c) interrupts or worries you
