Meaning & Definition of Perturb in English

1. 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. Disturb or interfere with the usual path of an electron or atom

• "The electrons were perturbed by the passing ion"

3. 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. Throw into great confusion or disorder

• "Fundamental islamicists threaten to perturb the social order in algeria and egypt"