as in destruction
the act of destroying or damaging something deliberately so that it does not work correctly
Angry workers were responsible for the sabotage of the machines. Officials have not yet ruled out sabotage as a possible cause of the crash.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in to thwart
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in to destroy
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sabotage
Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The more sabotage missions completed undetected, the greater the prize — but if a celebrity saboteur is caught, the contestant faces a difficult decision.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
ABC News, 5 Oct. 2025
Once in a job interview, nerves can often sabotage performance, but Brooks suggested reframing anxiety as excitement.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sabotage
Noun
Western allies accuse Russia of serious airspace violations, sabotage plots, cyberattacks, and more—which Moscow denies.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The more sabotage missions completed undetected, the greater the prize — but if a celebrity saboteur is caught, the contestant faces a difficult decision.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
But, there are a lot of opportunities here for whoever wants to sabotage it to do so.
—ABC News, 5 Oct. 2025
Once in a job interview, nerves can often sabotage performance, but Brooks suggested reframing anxiety as excitement.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sabotage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sabotage
Noun
-
There are two questions Gazans have usually asked each other since the start of this campaign of unrelenting and systematic destruction, starvation, displacement and mass killing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
But catastrophes also tend to reveal deficits in society, and the patterns of destruction and abandonment that followed the fire—which have roots in America’s past and its present—tell us something about the country’s future, too.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Will Baltimore manage to thwart a Vikings rushing attack that gashed the Lions for 142 yards, cause McCarthy to assume a heavier load than Minnesota’s coaches would like and force the first-year starter into youthful mistakes?—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
But with the teams back to even strength a short time later, Kirill Kaprizov got loose in the middle of the offensive zone and made a rush to the net that was thwarted.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
So, automation can be used to destroy labor or workers’ power, but it can also be used in the opposite direction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Homes, businesses and synagogues were destroyed.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The coaches also decided King’s wrecking-ball approach was effective.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
-
The addresses listed in the wrecking permits border the east of the truck plant where Ford makes its iconic Super Duty trucks, Expedition SUVs and luxury Lincoln Navigators.—
Olivia Evans,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There were rumors Williams was frustrated with how the Jets were playing, and one can’t blame him, having been part of seven straight losing seasons.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The deadlock has put a pall over Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are frustrated, staffers aren’t getting paid, and the mood is dark, even compared to shutdowns of years past.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
11 Nov. 2025
-
So, no, women didn’t ruin the workplace.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The oldest trick in the book … foiled by those pesky Bravo cameras.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The first of those moments was foiled by a game-tying Miguel Rojas home run (his first hit in a calendar month) with one out in the top of the ninth inning.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Guardiola’s lads look back to their best in the early months of this season after the extended wobble in the previous one that wrecked their hopes of a fifth straight domestic title.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Phillips croons about a mother’s bond with her child as Swinton walks off, her character freshly wrecked by a visit with her son in prison.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sabotage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sabotage. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share