destabilize

[ dee-stey-buh-lahyz ]

/ diˈsteɪ bəˌlaɪz /

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See synonyms for destabilize on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), de·sta·bi·lized, de·sta·bi·liz·ing.

to make unstable; rid of stabilizing attributes: conflicts that tend to destabilize world peace.

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Also especially British, de·sta·bi·lise .

Origin of destabilize

First recorded in 1930–35; de- + stabilize

OTHER WORDS FROM destabilize

de·sta·bi·li·za·tion, noun

Words nearby destabilize

dessert knife, dessertspoon, dessertspoonful, dessert wine, dessiatine, destabilize, destain, de-Stalinization, de-Stalinize, destem, desterilize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use destabilize in a sentence

This process could have led to the water getting warmer, destabilizing the adjacent ice sheet.
Large-scale changes in Earth’s climate may originate in the Pacific|Gloria Dickie|October 8, 2020|Science News
The current challenges around cloud migration focus on application readiness, risk of destabilizing the legacy environment, cost implications, and security implications of different cloud technologies.
5G and the enterprise opportunity|Claire Beatty|October 7, 2020|MIT Technology Review
In the past, carbon dioxide from fires would be reabsorbed when plants regrew in subsequent years, but 2019’s fire emissions rose, potentially destabilizing that balance.
What wildfires in Brazil, Siberia, and the US West have in common|Lili Pike|September 17, 2020|Vox
Zuri Williams said the disruption destabilized Zora Williams’ academic career.
When a Calculus Class Abruptly Became Ceramics at Lincoln High|Scott Lewis|September 16, 2020|Voice of San Diego

They believe that every detainee has actively resisted and is part of an organization whose sole aim is to “destabilize the situation in the country.”
Misery in Minsk|Eugene Robinson|August 18, 2020|Ozy
The lies are just the latest attempt to destabilize a fractured country.
Iraqi Insurgents Circulate the Lie That They Killed the Judge in Saddam’s Trial|Michael Newton|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I believe that Iranian TV wishes to destabilize my family, who live in a small town.
Iran Says Take Off the Veil—and Be Raped|IranWire|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now they are in Donetsk region, many paid by Yanukovych, who is still dreaming to destabilize life in Ukraine.
War and Murder in Eastern Ukraine|Anna Nemtsova|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A campaign to destabilize the country has escalated rapidly this year.
Up to Speed: What’s Happening to Nigeria’s Kidnapped Girls?|Nina Strochlic|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Putin will seek to intimidate, apply pressure and destabilize.
Putin Can Take Ukraine Without an Invasion, and Probably Will|Jamie Dettmer|April 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To convince the West of the quality of its wares, China demonstrates its capacity to destabilize in various corners of the world.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin

British Dictionary definitions for destabilize

destabilize

destabilise

/ (diːˈsteɪbɪˌlaɪz) /

verb

(tr) to undermine or subvert (a government, economy, etc) so as to cause unrest or collapse

Derived forms of destabilize

destabilization or destabilisation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

destabilize

Origin of destabilize

OTHER WORDS FROM destabilize

Words nearby destabilize

Words related to destabilize

How to use destabilize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for destabilize

destabilise

Derived forms of destabilize