Synonyms of sabotage

sabotage 1 of 2

noun

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

• destruction
• wrecking
• desecration
• vandalism
• ruin
• ruination
• ravage
• demolishing
• ravaging
• demolishment
• vandalization
• desecrating
• defacement
• trashing
• predation
• looting
• plundering
• pillage
• defacing
• depredation
• spoliation
• plunder
• marauding
• pillaging
• despoiling
• despoilment
• sacking
• ransacking

Dissimilar Words

• protection
• conservation
• saving
• preservation
• salvage

sabotage

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to thwart

Related Words

• thwart
• frustrate
• foil
• restrain
• curb
• hinder
• baffle
• impede
• rein
• arrest
• check
• constrain
• hamper
• obstruct
• inhibit
• set back
• tie up
• hold back
• handicap
• halt
• slow
• retard
• bottleneck
• stop
• encumber
• brake
• hobble
• hold up
• slacken
• decelerate

Dissimilar Words

• accelerate
• hasten
• rush
• encourage
• hurry
• push
• speed (up)
• step up
• urge
• spur
• stir
• drive
• help
• facilitate
• propel
• aid
• quicken
• forward
• advance
• expedite
• further
• ease
• goad
• dispatch

2

as in to destroy

Related Words

• destroy
• ruin
• wreck
• annihilate
• wipe out
• harm
• damage
• hurt
• smash
• demolish
• impair
• waste
• devastate
• ravage
• tear down
• spoil
• total
• raze
• wrack
• scourge
• shatter
• plunder
• mar
• despoil
• pillage
• sack
• loot
• ransack
• violate
• bang up
• raven
• break
• vandalize
• deface
• depredate
• spoliate
• desecrate
• maraud
• trash
• tag
• graffiti

Dissimilar Words

• protect
• save
• preserve
• conserve
• build
• salvage
• rebuild

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sabotage

Noun

Either way, The Ministry is a perfectly decent action movie based on the real-life tale of a group of World War II commandos on a covert submarine-sabotage mission. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026

With anti-cull sabotage ruled out, suspicion settled on the food-inspection agency. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Verb

Meanwhile, the megalomaniac Esmeralda, still delusionally kooky, spends less time trying to sabotage Ned and more time getting sent on side quests — an attempt to create her own big puzzle game, a journey undercover at her son’s school. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026

As Reuters reported, a computer science college student in Texas named Sinan Can Demir discovered an attempt to sabotage some open-source software and posted a warning on the program’s page. — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2026