How to Use discombobulate in a Sentence

discombobulate

verb
  • The Bears offense was discombobulated at best for much of the first half.
    — Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 8 Aug. 2019
  • Arizona State became discombobulated for a stretch in the first half, but wore the Aggies down to pull away.
    — USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2017
  • The 49ers’ offense was discombobulated for most of the night.
    — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, 11 Nov. 2019
  • To completely discombobulate him, someone like me heaving all over him with lips and eyes and bosom, to turn this nerd.
    — Vulture, 29 Dec. 2022
  • Now is, of course, a discombobulating moment to be writing about marathons.
    — Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2020
  • The view is discombobulating at first, the modern and ritzy clashing with the traditional and sacred, yet that image sums up Japan.
    — Brian Ashcraft, WIRED, 22 June 2009
  • Friday was an admittedly discombobulating day for Donald Trump, the leader of the free world for the past 315 often hair-raising days.
    — Emily Jane Fox, The Hive, 2 Dec. 2017
  • Authorities said a beam of light aimed at an aircraft could discombobulate and even temporarily blind the pilot in the cockpit.
    — Matt Bruce, ajc, 30 July 2022
  • Scientists have known for years about bony fish, sharks, worms, jellies, corals, and other marine creatures that light up to attract mates, lure prey, or discombobulate predators.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2021
  • Like the fill-in-the-blank game where random words are inserted to generate wacky outcomes, Minnesota’s kicking game seems to come up with different ways to discombobulate.
    — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2019
  • The lone note of comic relief in Westworld continues to be Lee Sizemore, totally out of his depth and discombobulated when the arrows start flying.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 20 May 2018
  • Still, the margin was narrow until Oregon, whose speedy offense had discombobulated Wisconsin, blended a series of free throws with some jumpers to build a comfortable lead.
    — Alan Blinder, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2020
  • The Gators, meanwhile, came out discombobulated and missed assignments during their first three offensive plays.
    — Mike Bianchi, orlandosentinel.com, 17 Oct. 2019
  • But the new arrivals in Kampala are discombobulated and often poorly informed.
    — chicagotribune.com, 5 July 2017
  • This has been, understandably, discombobulating for anyone caught up in the maelstrom.
    — Alexander Fury, Harper's BAZAAR, 30 Oct. 2017
  • This would immediately de-escalate the conflict, discombobulate the North Koreans, and remove the issue from our problem list.
    — Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2017
  • A few hours later, Harmon walked into a nearby church bloodied, bruised and discombobulated, wearing nothing but her underwear.
    — Michael Harriot, The Root, 26 Feb. 2018
  • But in fleshing out the list of lures that draw mosquitoes to humans, researchers may be on their way to developing more powerful repellents, including some that could discombobulate the bugs’ navigation skills.
    — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2020
  • Hatchlings are also easily discombobulated by artificial lights, which can lure them inland instead of to the water’s edge.
    — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2020
  • The café owner known only as Fleabag attends a family dinner at which a wedding is discussed, alcoholism is confronted, and pregnancies are miscarried—all in the space of a few discombobulating minutes.
    — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 4 May 2020
  • Meantime, the Spartans looked completely discombobulated on offense, with errant passes, flying wide and disrupting the flow.
    — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 22 Feb. 2023
  • Carolina will create a tough enough environment at Bank of America Stadium to discombobulate an offense that is already struggling to be cohesive.
    — Joseph Person and Jourdan Rodrigue, charlotteobserver, 3 Nov. 2017
  • The menu feels discombobulated without the distinct personality that distinguishes a four-star restaurant.
    — Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Apr. 2018
  • The pre-credits sequence discombobulates viewers by opening with two entirely unfamiliar characters, who genially chat before heading out on an errand that jarringly shifts mood.
    — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2018
  • And so the Embassy was discombobulated, disrupted, uncertain.
    — Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2020
  • The effect is at first exhilarating, then discombobulating, then exhausting.
    — Elisabeth Egan, New York Times, 1 June 2018
  • Visually speaking, Klabin has accomplished something quite special with his directorial debut, The Wave's bright neon palette and giddily discombobulating sense of circular momentum replicating the look and feel of a particularly glorious trip.
    — Isaac Feldberg, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2020
  • Actually, scratch that too: everything since November 2016 has been discombobulating.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 10 Aug. 2019
  • And ceremonies often deliberately discombobulate initiates, especially the ones who don’t know they’re being inducted.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2022
  • The overall experience is hypnotic, discombobulating, and undeniably fun.
    — Benjamin Kemper, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Mar. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discombobulate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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