undermine

verb

un·​der·​mine ˌən-dər-ˈmīn 

ˈən-dər-ˌmīn

undermined; undermining; undermines

transitive verb

1

: to subvert or weaken insidiously or secretly

trying to undermine his political rivals

2

: to weaken or ruin by degrees

3

: to wash away supporting material from under

4

: to excavate the earth beneath : form a mine under : sap

Choose the Right Synonym for undermine

weaken, enfeeble, debilitate, undermine, sap, disable mean to lose or cause to lose strength or vigor.

weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power.

a disease that weakens the body's defenses

enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness.

enfeebled by starvation

debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality.

the debilitating effects of surgery

undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously.

a poor diet undermines your health

drugs had sapped his ability to think

disable suggests bringing about impairment or limitation in a physical or mental ability.

disabled by an injury sustained at work

Examples of undermine in a Sentence

She tried to undermine my authority by complaining about me to my boss.

The events of the past year have undermined people's confidence in the government.

Recent Examples on the Web

But its unique situation in Miami-Dade has rankled many local public school advocates, who see the money and lobbying heft put into them as a political project to undermine traditional public schools. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2026

Liberman’s strategy risks undermining Eisenkot’s minority-government route, but the two are coordinating their next moves. — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2026

These papers have hosted the voices of those who have parsed out the details of how Newsom’s across-the-board commutations are legally suspect in various ways, and indeed argued that Newsom is undermining the desires of Californians. — Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 11 Nov. 2026

Read More on News But the promotion of white poppies has revived a longstanding disagreement over whether alternative symbols broaden remembrance or undermine the traditional red poppy. — Rich Percival, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Rhymes for undermine

• alkaline
• andesine
• anodyne
• anticline
• arginine
• asinine
• benzidine
• borderline
• byzantine
• calamine
• caroline
• centerline

Kids Definition

undermine

verb

un·​der·​mine ˌən-dər-ˈmīn 

1

: to dig out or wear away the earth beneath

undermine a wall

2

: to weaken or ruin secretly or gradually

undermine a government