sabotage

1 of 2

noun

sab·​o·​tage ˈsa-bə-ˌtäzh How to pronounce sabotage (audio)
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

sabotage

2 of 2

verb

sabotaged; sabotaging

transitive verb

: to practice sabotage on

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
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

Etymology

Noun

French, from saboter to clatter with sabots, botch, sabotage, from sabot

First Known Use

Noun

1910, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1913, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sabotage was in 1910

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 How to pronounce sabotage (audio)
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

sabotage

2 of 2 verb
sabotaged; sabotaging
: to practice sabotage on : wreck
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 How to pronounce sabotage (audio)
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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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