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sab·o·tage
ˈsa-bə-ˌtäzh 
1
: destruction of an employer's property (such as tools or materials) or the hindering of manufacturing by discontented workers
2
: destructive or obstructive action carried on by a civilian or enemy agent to hinder a nation's war effort
3
a
: an act or process tending to hamper or hurt
b
: deliberate subversion
Example Sentences
Noun
Angry workers were responsible for the sabotage of the machines.
Officials have not yet ruled out sabotage as a possible cause of the crash.
Verb
They sabotaged the enemy's oil fields.
The airplane crashed because it was sabotaged.
The lawyer is trying to sabotage the case by creating confusion.
The deal was sabotaged by an angry employee.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Toluse Olorunnipa, Justine Mcdaniel And Ian Duncan, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Feb. 2023
Gazprom received approval under the rationale that the company would be securing its energy sector resources in a time of uncertainty and protecting against sabotage.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023
The West African nation and OPEC member was once one of the world's biggest oil producers, but low investment, sabotage and theft have wreaked havoc on Nigeria's oil industry.
—Joe Wallace, WSJ, 17 Feb. 2023
At the same time the urban poor and farmers , desperate for water are increasingly resorting to theft, kidnapping, and sabotage, along with peaceful protest in an effort to save themselves and their livelihoods.
—Jordan Kinard, Scientific American, 15 Feb. 2023
Coal shipments on the rail line to Richards Bay hit a three-decade low in 2022 due to a host of labor and sabotage problems and issues with its locomotives.
—Antony Sguazzin, Bloomberg.com, 13 Feb. 2023
Whether the origin of the rumors is general agitation about the fate of the industry, or old-fashioned competitive sabotage, as two people speculated, its wide reach reflects a new reality for crypto: The government’s gloves have come off.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 8 Feb. 2023
The category includes vandalism, actual physical attacks and sabotage.
—Grace Hauck, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2023
The most obvious cases are those in which a person took up arms against Ukrainian forces or was involved in spying or sabotage to aid the Russian war effort.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 6 Feb. 2023
People Staff, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2022
Some people attempted to sabotage other group’s creations with streams of purple pixels.
—Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2022
That could mean attempts to disrupt oil pipelines, American and European satellites and other telecom and tech infrastructure, as well as further efforts to influence and sabotage global elections.
—Paul R. La Monica, CNN, 4 Jan. 2023
Some products are loaded with sugar and calories, which can sabotage your weight loss efforts.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 23 Dec. 2022
Part of this impulse to downplay or sabotage traditional expressions of luxury is likely related to the downward spiraling of the economy.
—Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, 15 Dec. 2022
Now with 13 members, the group returns to Las Vegas to sabotage a hotel opening and rig some casino machines.
—Lia Beck, Peoplemag, 6 Dec. 2022
According to Zoe Schiffer, Musk and those remaining aren’t even sure who has left at this point and, in an act of straight-up paranoia, have locked Twitter’s headquarters down out of fear that outgoing employees could sabotage the company.
—Joe Wituschek, BGR, 17 Nov. 2022
Everybody has seen the last two years, where there has been a concerted, coordinated effort on the other side to both restrict access to voting and put in place the pieces to sabotage and overturn future elections.
—Daniel Strauss, The New Republic, 7 Nov. 2022
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Noun
There were no initial signs of sabotage or negligence by the train crew.
—Toluse Olorunnipa, Justine Mcdaniel And Ian Duncan, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Feb. 2023
Gazprom received approval under the rationale that the company would be securing its energy sector resources in a time of uncertainty and protecting against sabotage.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023
The West African nation and OPEC member was once one of the world's biggest oil producers, but low investment, sabotage and theft have wreaked havoc on Nigeria's oil industry.
—Joe Wallace, WSJ, 17 Feb. 2023
At the same time the urban poor and farmers , desperate for water are increasingly resorting to theft, kidnapping, and sabotage, along with peaceful protest in an effort to save themselves and their livelihoods.
—Jordan Kinard, Scientific American, 15 Feb. 2023
Coal shipments on the rail line to Richards Bay hit a three-decade low in 2022 due to a host of labor and sabotage problems and issues with its locomotives.
—Antony Sguazzin, Bloomberg.com, 13 Feb. 2023
Whether the origin of the rumors is general agitation about the fate of the industry, or old-fashioned competitive sabotage, as two people speculated, its wide reach reflects a new reality for crypto: The government’s gloves have come off.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 8 Feb. 2023
The category includes vandalism, actual physical attacks and sabotage.
—Grace Hauck, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2023
The most obvious cases are those in which a person took up arms against Ukrainian forces or was involved in spying or sabotage to aid the Russian war effort.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 6 Feb. 2023
Verb
But after things go awry due to a mysterious phantom attempting to sabotage the night, Pete joins forces with his two younger siblings to unmask the villain and save the premiere.
—People Staff, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2022
Some people attempted to sabotage other group’s creations with streams of purple pixels.
—Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2022
That could mean attempts to disrupt oil pipelines, American and European satellites and other telecom and tech infrastructure, as well as further efforts to influence and sabotage global elections.
—Paul R. La Monica, CNN, 4 Jan. 2023
Some products are loaded with sugar and calories, which can sabotage your weight loss efforts.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 23 Dec. 2022
Part of this impulse to downplay or sabotage traditional expressions of luxury is likely related to the downward spiraling of the economy.
—Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, 15 Dec. 2022
Now with 13 members, the group returns to Las Vegas to sabotage a hotel opening and rig some casino machines.
—Lia Beck, Peoplemag, 6 Dec. 2022
According to Zoe Schiffer, Musk and those remaining aren’t even sure who has left at this point and, in an act of straight-up paranoia, have locked Twitter’s headquarters down out of fear that outgoing employees could sabotage the company.
—Joe Wituschek, BGR, 17 Nov. 2022
Everybody has seen the last two years, where there has been a concerted, coordinated effort on the other side to both restrict access to voting and put in place the pieces to sabotage and overturn future elections.
—Daniel Strauss, The New Republic, 7 Nov. 2022
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sabotage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near sabotage
Cite this Entry
“Sabotage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sabotage. Accessed 26 Mar. 2023.
Kids Definition
sabotage
1 of 2 noun
sab·o·tage
ˈsab-ə-ˌtäzh
1
: destruction of an employer's property or the action of making it difficult to work by discontented workers
2
: destructive or blocking action carried on by enemy agents or sympathizers to make a nation's war effort more difficult
Etymology
Noun
from French sabotage "destruction of property to hinder a manufacturing or war effort," from saboter "to clatter around wearing sabots, botch," from sabot "a wooden shoe"
Legal Definition
sabotage
noun
sab·o·tage
ˈsa-bə-ˌtäzh
1
: the willful destruction of an employer's property or the hindering of normal operations by other means
2
: the injury, destruction, or knowingly defective production of materials, premises, or utilities used for war or national defense compare criminal syndicalism, sedition
Etymology
Noun
French, from saboter to clatter with wooden shoes, botch, sabotage, from sabot wooden shoe
More from Merriam-Webster on sabotage
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sabotage
Nglish: Translation of sabotage for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of sabotage for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sabotage
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