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
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
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Perhaps, curled inside the turbulent virginal atmosphere, Helm dreams of being a storm, has a prophetic vision of destruction, feels a natural calling.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
What divides him from Burton is that Hopkins, by a miracle, summoned the clarity to renounce his own destruction.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
3 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
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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
-
Just under two million Palestinians—virtually the entire population of Gaza—have been displaced since October 2023, many repeatedly, and Israeli forces have damaged or destroyed more than 90 percent of homes in the Strip.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Teddy is a conspiracy theorist who believes Michelle is an alien hellbent on destroying Earth.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The coaches also decided King’s wrecking-ball approach was effective.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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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
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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
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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
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That’s why his mistress threw in with Frank to intimidate Dale into a land deal that would have ruined any chance of Chutto’s family ever getting their land back.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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Because when those premiums go up by 100, 200%, people’s lives are ruined.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The oldest trick in the book … foiled by those pesky Bravo cameras.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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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
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Storm preparations Cuba has been struck almost yearly by a major hurricane in recent years, sometimes twice, wrecking the country’s already decrepit infrastructure, damaging crops and destroying thousands of homes in precarious condition.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
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In 1816 the stratosphere was saturated with Tambora’s dust, and sea ice nearly wrecked Scoresby’s ship off the eastern coast of Greenland.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sabotage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sabotage. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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