sabotage
Americannoun
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any underhand interference with production, work, etc., in a plant, factory, etc., as by enemy agents during wartime or by employees during a trade dispute.
-
any undermining of a cause.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the deliberate destruction, disruption, or damage of equipment, a public service, etc, as by enemy agents, dissatisfied employees, etc
-
any similar action or behaviour
verb
Other Word Forms
- unsabotaged adjective
Etymology
Origin of sabotage
First recorded in 1865–70; from French, from sabot(er) “to botch,” originally, “to harry, shake up, strike” (verb derivative of sabot sabot ) + -age -age
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For example, the Fairmont the Palm hotel in Dubai that was set ablaze early in the war was insured against terrorism and sabotage, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
The now-declassified CIA report cited a range of potential threats to crude-oil shipments through the strait, from sea mines to sabotage from tiny wooden craft known as dhows.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026
In the eastern city of Debrecen, Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky warned that the city could be a target for "hybrid operations" such as sabotage.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
Ten suspects were arrested who "admitted during the investigation their links to the Revolutionary Guards and having been instructed to conduct espionage and sabotage activities," the nation's official press agency said.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
Despite the Eloko doing everything it can to sabotage us, the path in front of us gets stronger and stronger.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
