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
Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
The alliance was announcing a new naval operation, Baltic Sentry, to counter underwater sabotage.
—Liam Denning, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 2026
Nir Eyal, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2026
Ciara tries to sabotage by giving Jane literal scraps of fabric, meaning Jane has to create a textile for her dress from scratch.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sabotage
Noun
For more than six decades, communist Cuba thwarted every destabilizing measure Washington aimed its way — assassination plots, a trade embargo, sabotage, travel bans and, most notoriously, the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, when Fidel Castro’s revolution was still young and the Cold War raging.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
The alliance was announcing a new naval operation, Baltic Sentry, to counter underwater sabotage.
—Liam Denning, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
Unfortunately, these beliefs can sabotage our goals.
—Nir Eyal, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2026
Ciara tries to sabotage by giving Jane literal scraps of fabric, meaning Jane has to create a textile for her dress from scratch.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sabotage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sabotage
Noun
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Officials haven't been able to assess the destruction fully but the cost of the storm could top $1 billion, including damage to airports, schools, roads, people's homes and a Maui hospital in Kula, Green said.—
Matt Gutman,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Crews continued to assess the destruction Monday, but authorities said hundreds of homes had been damaged, along with some schools and a hospital.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The failure to thwart the 2001 terrorist attacks drove the federal government to take over airport security from private companies and create the Transportation Security Administration.—
Kelly Yamanouchi,
AJC.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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Both remind me of Ray’s leads, who sense that they’re being thwarted or not meeting expectations, but seem unable or unwilling to resolve anything.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of his top aides, Saeed Ghasseminejad, has identified in interviews and on social media critical oil and gas infrastructure that could be destroyed in the war.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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But a staggering series of misfortunes – an arsonist destroyed her rental house; the private equity firm that owned the house still demanded two months’ rent and kept her security deposit; she was diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer – forced her into tenuous housing situations.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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At least, there was a lot less wrecking.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
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The Ravens haven’t really had that game-wrecking pass rusher since Terrell Suggs was in his prime.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Fans are entitled to want to be entertained, and to be frustrated that the European campaign has been a struggle, as well as by the problems Palace have endured when confronted by 10 men on several occasions of late.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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Were there any points when reading the script that you were frustrated with her for not questioning him at all?—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now, months later, residents say the gunfire has shattered their peace, ruining quiet strolls and sunsets on the neighborhood’s lakes.—
Christopher Spata,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2026
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Everything looked incredible… until the teams started playing and ruined it a bit.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tommy eventually does so by applying his methodical genius to foil the Nazi plan.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
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But the sheer relentlessness of its joke-cracking bodes well for future, riskier enterprises — as, for that matter, does the natural spark between Matarazzo’s repeatedly foiled would-be swagger and Giambrone’s disarming mama’s-boy act.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The strike, blamed on the military, killed 70 people and wrecked Al Daein Teaching Hospital, which had served people across the province of East Darfur.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
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On the edges of Beirut's stylish downtown area and the trendy Mar Mikhael neighborhood is the devastated port area, wrecked by a massive explosion in 2020, with efforts to apportion responsibility for the disaster allegedly repeatedly stymied by Hezbollah.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sabotage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sabotage. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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