sabotage

9 synonyms for sabotage, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A deliberate act intended to damage, weaken, or derail someone or something, usually by underhand or destructive means.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

undermine disrupt wreck torpedo weaken

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

subvert vandalize countermine counteract

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A deliberate act intended to damage, weaken, or derail someone or something, usually by underhand or destructive means.

“Investigators suspected sabotage after the factory's main line failed twice in one week.”

undermine subvert disrupt wreck vandalize torpedo

2. verb

To deliberately damage, disrupt, or undermine something so it fails.

“He was fired for sabotaging the merger negotiations.”

subvert countermine undermine weaken counteract

How to use sabotage

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

act of sabotage industrial sabotage sabotage a plan accused of sabotage

Etymology

Borrowed directly from French sabotage, itself from saboter — traditionally linked to sabot, a wooden clog, from the old idea of workers wrecking machinery with their clogs.

Full origin of sabotage →

Frequently asked questions

What does “sabotage” mean?

The word “sabotage” means a deliberate act intended to damage, weaken, or derail someone or something, usually by underhand or destructive means. In plain terms, wrecking or undermining something on purpose so it can't succeed.

How do you pronounce “sabotage”?

“Sabotage” is pronounced SA-buh-tahzh (/ˈsæb.əˌtɑʒ/ in IPA).

How do you use “sabotage” in a sentence?

Here is “sabotage” used in a sentence: “Investigators suspected sabotage after the factory's main line failed twice in one week.”

What part of speech is “sabotage”?

Depending on how it is used, “sabotage” can be a noun and a verb.

Where does the word “sabotage” come from?

The word “sabotage” comes from French. Borrowed directly from French sabotage, itself from saboter — traditionally linked to sabot, a wooden clog, from the old idea of workers wrecking machinery with their clogs.

Is “sabotage” a common word?

“Sabotage” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “sabotage” have?

“Sabotage” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a deliberate act intended to damage, weaken, or derail someone or something, usually by underhand or destructive means.

What is the difference between sabotage and vandalism?

Sabotage is a deliberate act intended to damage, weaken, or derail someone or something, usually through underhand or destructive means aimed at a specific goal, while vandalism is typically random or spiteful destruction of property without a strategic purpose. Sabotage often targets a plan, process, or organization, whereas vandalism targets physical objects for their own sake.

Is sabotage always a physical act?

No, sabotage can be physical, such as damaging machinery, or non-physical, such as spreading misinformation or deliberately undermining a project through underhand means. The key element is the deliberate intent to damage, disrupt, or derail something, regardless of the method used.

People also searched

wreck undermine weaken disrupt torpedo counteract countermine subvert vandalize

Nearby words

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