sabotage
sabotage
Definition
sabo·tage (sab′ə täz̸h′, sab′ə täz̸h′)
noun
- intentional destruction of machines, waste of materials, etc., as by employees during labor disputes
- destruction of railroads, bridges, machinery, etc., as by enemy agents or by an underground resistance
- the deliberate obstruction of or damage to any cause, movement, activity, effort, etc.
Etymology: Fr < saboter, to work badly, damage < sabot: see sabot & -age: from damage done to machinery by wooden shoes
transitive verb -·taged′, -·tag′·ing
to injure or destroy by sabotage
intransitive verb
to engage in sabotage
sabotage
Synonyms
sabotage
Synonyms
sabotage
Usage Examples
Object
- effort: This is a sure way to sabotage weight loss efforts.
- attempt: Too much anxiety, the other side of the U, sabotages any attempt to do well.
- economy: IW could sabotage an economy by reducing international confidence in a nation's currency, or causing an adversary to default on payments.
- site: Hang around and the nasty Dr. X starts to sabotage the site really!
- machine: The POI will not sabotage the war machine of ' French imperialism.
Converse of object
- organize: Bea organizes sabotage of all the machines in the laundry.
Subject
Adjective modifier
- deliberate: One questions raised is: were these stones then removed, in an act of deliberate sabotage?
- industrial: Is Nadia up to the business of international industrial sabotage?
- economic: Without economic sabotage, you will not get them out into the streets... .
- military: Klement did not agree with Vereeken's definition of revolutionary defeatism, because Vereeken thought that it was the same as military sabotage.
Modifies a noun
- mission: The sabotage mission on the Vemork plant was now to hinder Germany for the rest of the war.
- attempt: Facing sabotage attempts from a local bus company, the villagers must find a way to keep their plans on track.
- attack: Their information raises fears of a wave of sabotage attacks in the event of a war in Iraq.
- operation: This was a new operations plan for sabotage operations against North Vietnam.
Modifying Another Word
- deliberately: I can't help feeling that these people have been put in place in order to deliberately sabotage the country.
- effectively: His conditions for German participation effectively sabotage the US plan.
Noun used with modifier
- oil: In 2002 they defeated a US-backed coup and then an oil sabotage.
Preposition: by
Browse dictionary entries near sabotage
- sabot
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- sable antelope
- sable
- Sabine Lake
- Sabine
- sabin
- saber-toothed tiger
- saber-toothed
- saber rattling
- saboteur
- sabra
- sabre
- sabre saw
- sabretache
- sabulous
- sac
- sac fungus
- Sacagawea
- sacaton
