destabilize
verb
de·sta·bi·lize
(ˌ)dē-ˈstā-bə-ˌlīz 
destabilized; destabilizing; destabilizes
1
: to make unstable
2
: to cause (something, such as a government) to be incapable of functioning or surviving
Examples of destabilize in a Sentence
The group hoped the assassination of the new President would destabilize the government.
Economists warn that the crisis could destabilize the nation's currency.
Recent Examples on the Web
These incidents are reminders that the SDF remains the foremost force preventing any ISIS resurgence in Syria, and that attacks against it, intending to coerce it into folding under the new central government in Damascus, will only destabilize an already fragile state.
—
Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Chair of the Virginia Senate’s education committee, Democrat Ghazala Hashmi, told USA TODAY Kent had tried to destabilize accreditation in the state and he was aligned with efforts to dismantle consumer protections.
—Chris Quintana, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025
But Syrian leader Ahmed al-Shara characterized the Israeli intervention as a plot to divide Syria and destabilize the country.
—Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 1 Aug. 2025
From Cuba to Venezuela — and more recently Colombia, where socialist President Gustavo Petro has destabilized the country’s health care system in just three years — the consequences are clear.
—Kerri Toloczko, Sun Sentinel, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for destabilize
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Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Chair of the Virginia Senate’s education committee, Democrat Ghazala Hashmi, told USA TODAY Kent had tried to destabilize accreditation in the state and he was aligned with efforts to dismantle consumer protections.
—Chris Quintana, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025
But Syrian leader Ahmed al-Shara characterized the Israeli intervention as a plot to divide Syria and destabilize the country.
—Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 1 Aug. 2025
From Cuba to Venezuela — and more recently Colombia, where socialist President Gustavo Petro has destabilized the country’s health care system in just three years — the consequences are clear.
—Kerri Toloczko, Sun Sentinel, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for destabilize
Cite this Entry
“Destabilize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/destabilize. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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