v. t. | 1. | To disturb; to agitate; to vex; to trouble; to disquiet. |
2. | To disorder; to confuse. |
Verb | 1. | perturb - disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed; "She was rather perturbed by the news that her father was seriously ill" |
2. | perturb - disturb or interfere with the usual path of an electron or atom; "The electrons were perturbed by the passing ion" | |
3. | perturb - 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. | perturb - throw into great confusion or disorder; "Fundamental Islamicists threaten to perturb the social order in Algeria and Egypt" Synonyms: throw out of kilter, derange |