perturb Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed
    disquiet; distract; cark; trouble; disorder; unhinge.
    • She was rather perturbed by the news that her father was seriously ill
  2. verb disturb or interfere with the usual path of an electron or atom
    • The electrons were perturbed by the passing ion
  3. verb cause a celestial body to deviate from a theoretically regular orbital motion, especially as a result of interposed or extraordinary gravitational pull
    • The orbits of these stars were perturbed by the passings of a comet
  4. verb throw into great confusion or disorder
    throw out of kilter; derange.
    • Fundamental Islamicists threaten to perturb the social order in Algeria and Egypt

WordNet

Per*turb" transitive verb
Etymology
L. perturbare, perturbatum; per + turbare to disturb, fr. turba a disorder: cf. OF. perturber. See Per-, and Turbid.
Definitions
  1. To disturb; to agitate; to vex; to trouble; to disquiet.
    Ye that . . . perturb so my feast with crying. Chaucer.
  2. To disorder; to confuse. R. Sir T. Browne.

Webster 1913