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Prepositions after verbs

Disturb by, at, in, with or about?

Disturb is most often used without a preposition or in passive forms with by. Other prepositions usually belong to different sentence structures.

Quick answer

Which prepositions are used with disturb?

Use disturb directly with an object: disturb someone. In passive structures, by introduces the cause. About can appear with disturbed to describe worries. Disturb at, disturb in, and disturb with are uncommon as fixed verb patterns.

The noise disturbed the neighbours.
She was disturbed by the message.
He seemed disturbed about the news.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
disturb + person or activity

Using disturb with a direct object

Disturb commonly takes a direct object without a preposition.

Please do not disturb the patients.
The construction disturbed our sleep.
2
be disturbed by + cause

Showing what caused the disturbance

By introduces the thing causing discomfort, interruption, or concern.

Residents were disturbed by the loud music.
She felt disturbed by his behaviour.
3
disturbed about + topic

Showing concern or worry

About is commonly used with the adjective disturbed, not usually the active verb disturb.

He is disturbed about the situation.
Parents were disturbed about the safety issues.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
disturb by
They were disturbed by shouting outside.
By introduces the cause in passive structures.
disturb about
She is disturbed about recent events.
About expresses concern with the adjective disturbed.
disturb at
Not standard: disturb at the noise
At is generally not used directly after disturb.
disturb in
Do not disturb me in class.
In here introduces a place or time, not a fixed verb-preposition pattern.
disturb with
The speech disturbed listeners with its violent imagery.
With can introduce an added descriptive element, but it is not a common fixed pattern.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Adding an unnecessary preposition after disturb

Disturb usually takes a direct object.

✕ The noise disturbed at me. ✓ The noise disturbed me.

Using about with the active verb

About is more natural with the adjective disturbed.

✕ The news disturbed about him. ✓ He was disturbed about the news.

Using at after disturb

At is not a standard complement after disturb.

✕ She was disturbed at the neighbours. ✓ She was disturbed by the neighbours.

Confusing disturb with interrupt

Disturb often suggests annoyance or discomfort, not only stopping an activity.

✕ Sorry to disturb your speech for one minute. ✓ Sorry to interrupt your speech for one minute.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The patients were disturbed ___ the noise.
2. Please do not disturb ___ audience.
3. She seemed disturbed ___ the recent changes.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need a preposition after disturb?

Usually no. Disturb commonly takes a direct object such as disturb someone or disturb sleep.

Can I say disturbed by?

Yes. Be disturbed by is a common passive structure.

Is disturb at correct?

Not usually. English normally uses disturb someone or be disturbed by something instead.

dabble, in, dabble, with "damage to" or "damage by"? dance to, with, on, in or for? "dangle from" or "dangle in"? dare to, for, on, as or at? dash to, into, out, from or on? daydream about, for, in, of or on? "debate in", "debate on" or "debate with"? deceive by, in, into, on or about? "decide on", "decide to" or "decide by"? declare in, by, on, to or as? decline in, by, from, to or for?

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