student asking question

What's the main difference between "distract" and "disturb"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Distract" means to draw someone's attention away from something. "Disturb" means to interrupt someone's current task or to disrupt the normal function of something. Ex: I'm sorry to disturb you while reading your book, but can you help me carry this? Ex: Distract mom and dad while I get the sweets from the kitchen! Ex: My daily work was disturbed by the loud crying outside.

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