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sabotage

[ sab-uh-tahzh, sab-uh-tahzh ]
/ ˈsæb əˌtɑʒ, ˌsæb əˈtɑʒ /
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See synonyms for: sabotage / sabotages / sabotaging on Thesaurus.com

noun
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), sab·o·taged, sab·o·tag·ing.
to injure or attack by sabotage.
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Origin of sabotage

1865–70; <French, equivalent to sabot(er) to botch, originally, to strike, shake up, harry, derivative of sabotsabot + -age-age

OTHER WORDS FROM sabotage

un·sab·o·taged, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sabotage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sabotage

sabotage
/ (ˈsæbəˌtɑːʒ) /

noun
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
(tr) to destroy, damage, or disrupt, esp by secret means

Word Origin for sabotage

C20: from French, from saboter to spoil through clumsiness (literally: to clatter in sabots)
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
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