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.
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1
as in to thwart
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2
as in to destroy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sabotage
Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
Whether the product of deliberate policymaking or whim, Trump’s capacity for sabotaging the World Cup and Olympics is vast.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Nakissa Jahanbani, The Conversation, 20 June 2025
Iran won’t simply absorb aerial bombardment or shrug off sabotage.
—Narges Bajoghli, Time, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sabotage
Noun
In mid-April, Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche fired a seasoned immigration lawyer who the Trump administration accused of sabotaging its legal case over the mistaken deportation of a Maryland man to his native El Salvador.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
Whether the product of deliberate policymaking or whim, Trump’s capacity for sabotaging the World Cup and Olympics is vast.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Verb
Over the years, Tehran has built up a network of hacking groups to conduct reconnaissance, disinformation, data theft, sabotage and influence operations.
—Nakissa Jahanbani, The Conversation, 20 June 2025
Iran won’t simply absorb aerial bombardment or shrug off sabotage.
—Narges Bajoghli, Time, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sabotage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sabotage
Noun
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Leave the innocents, the children, the ones who just want to live a simple life, out of the bombing and destruction.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2025
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The result of these and other assaults, wrote Jed Kolko, a former undersecretary for economic affairs at the Commerce Department overseeing data operations at the Census Bureau and BEA, will include the destruction of trust in U.S. economic data.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Bill Daly is a former FBI investigator who worked to thwart terror attacks and dealt with foreign counterintelligence.—
Peter D'Abrosca , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2025
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Nena Farrell The Best Bike Locks and Ebike Locks Our favorite bike locks for every ride, including new locks designed to thwart angle grinders.—
Parker Hall,
Wired News,
21 June 2025
Verb
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In September 2024, the same month as the pager attack and assassination of Hezbollah’s leader, Israel launched the most extensive campaign of airstrikes in the air force’s history hitherto, destroying much of Hezbollah’s strategic surface-to-surface missile stockpiles.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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As rumors swirl and her life collapses, Eva faces a choice: protect herself or expose Amir’s secret and risk destroying him.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Retailers have sought to prevent theft without compromising the customer experience as traditional approaches such as locking up products can frustrate shoppers and have been found to lower sales.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
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A number of Republicans are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of tariff deals from President Trump two weeks away from a July 8 deadline that could lead to the reinstating of heavy tariffs on imports from around the world.—
Alex Gangitano,
The Hill,
22 June 2025
Verb
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And just like that, Donald Trump ruined something else.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
26 June 2025
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Daniella Segura,
Sacbee.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
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But the plot was foiled by a joint effort between the SBU and the Polish internal security service (ABW).—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
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The twilight of the tennis sandwich generation, foiled by the Big Three, Sinner and Alcaraz The generation of men's players born in the 1990s who looked set to challenge Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have seen tennis pass them by.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
Verb
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The facility had been subject to sabotage and subterfuge by Israel for many years even before these attacks–including a computer virus that wrecked the centrifuges over a decade ago.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
26 June 2025
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All three spent Wednesday warning that Mamdani would wreck New York.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
25 June 2025
Verb
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When restrained, Perry falls to the ground while still cursing, as seen in another video, and is then removed from the flight.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
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Earlier this month, on June 17, a 32-year-old female New York resident was restrained and removed from a Southwest flight from LaGuardia to Kansas City.—
Colson Thayer,
People.com,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sabotage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sabotage. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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