subversion
noun
Did you know?
Subversion is literally the "turning over" of something. In the 1950s and '60s, many people worried about communist subversion of the U.S. government, though they often saw subversive activities where none existed. Nondemocratic governments often claim that anyone who disagrees with them or joins a demonstration is a subversive. But subversion isn't always quite so serious a matter; when words like weekend, sandwich, job, *and *camping started being used by the French, for example, some of them began claiming that America was subverting their language.
Examples of subversion in a Sentence
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
In 2021, after Beijing imposed a sweeping National Security Law on Hong Kong to ban sedition, secession and subversion, the university removed the statue under the cover of darkness and placed it in storage.
—Oscar Holland, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
The planned law, for example, won’t deal with secession and subversion, offenses already covered by the NSL.
—TIME, 19 Mar. 2024
Police said the three Palestinians have been charged with criminal conspiracy for terrorism purposes or subversion of the democratic order, which carries jail terms of up to 15 years.
—NBC News, 12 Mar. 2024
Those who crave his blend of craft, theater and subversion have largely put his troubled past in the rear view and afforded him the opportunity to continue his career in peace.
—Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
Politics, activism and subversion have run in the bloodstream of generations of London designers.
—Sarah Mower, Vogue, 18 Feb. 2024
The Wyoming High School graduate and University of Virginia student from Ohio had been sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor on subversion charges related to trying to steal a propaganda banner while visiting with a tour group.
—Scott Wartman and Meg Kinnard, The Enquirer, 20 Jan. 2024
She's also been involved with Trump's 2020 election subversion case and his classified documents case.
—Isabella Murray, ABC News, 15 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subversion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin subversion-, subversio, from Latin subvertere
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing subversion
Dictionary Entries Near subversion
Cite this Entry
“Subversion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subversion. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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