subvert
Americanverb (used with object)
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subverts,
present (3rd person singular)
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subverted,
past participle, past
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subverting
present participle
verb
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to bring about the complete downfall or ruin of (something existing or established by a system of law, etc)
-
to undermine the moral principles of (a person, etc); corrupt
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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subvertsimple
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subvertssimple
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have subvertedperfect
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has subvertedperfect
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am subvertingprogressive
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are subvertingprogressive
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is subvertingprogressive
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have been subvertingperfect progressive
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has been subvertingperfect progressive
Past
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subvertedsimple
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had subvertedperfect
-
was subvertingprogressive
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were subvertingprogressive
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had been subvertingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of subvert
1325–75; Middle English subverten < Latin subvertere to overthrow, equivalent to sub- sub- + vertere to turn
Explanation
When you subvert something, your words or actions criticize or undermine the usual way of doing something or common values. The girl who wears a tuxedo to the prom might subvert traditional ideas about beauty. To subvert an institution like a school or a government is to overthrow it or stop its normal way of functioning. Subvert comes from the Latin word subvertere, which combines the prefix sub, under, and the suffix vertere, to turn. So you can imagine something that subverts as overturning or flipping the usual way of doing things, like a student who subverts a teacher's authority, causing chaos in the classroom.
Vocabulary lists containing subvert
Educated
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Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Beyond Vietnam" (1967)
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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.
See Examples For:
What: A Spotify podcast hosted by Meghan, who said she intended to “dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
It was in part to this fear that George Mason referred when he insisted at the Constitutional Convention that any definition of impeachable conduct must cover “attempts to subvert the Constitution.”
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
The ruling said the court not exercising its powers in the case would send out the wrong signal to other public bodies, undermine the authority of the commissioner, and subvert the rule of law.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Rocha Moya and others named have denied the charges, calling them an attempt to subvert Mexico’s sovereignty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
“However, the Oakland Police Department cannot comment on pending investigations, nor can it subvert the rule of law in this city.”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
The plot is simultaneously ingenious, preposterous and, in its ultimate phantasmagorical effect, not unlike Mr. Holland’s account of the reality Mr. Boyne so wantonly subverts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
First, AI subverts the tech giants’ economies of scale by lowering the relatively high fixed costs of writing software, which had served as a protective moat for these companies.
From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026
“Elections should be free from fraud or any other malfeasance that subverts the will of the people,” she added.
From Salon ● Mar. 3, 2026
The documentary surfaces footage from performances in which Selena subverts the idea of the well-manicured image that the Quintanilla family has constantly put out of the singer in the 30 years since her death.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025
The first sentence, which says that most Internet users go to news sites in their own country, subverts its attempt to express a resemblance relation in three ways.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
As the Gilded Age rolled on, one female game designer subverted the script.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026
"More concerningly the flag of a different home nation is being subverted and used to express a particular position, across the UK, not just in Wales," she added.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2025
“Will & Grace” further subverted the gay bestie trope by assigning Will his own gay best friend, Sean Hayes’ Jack.
From Salon ● May 29, 2025
The stakes in Season 1 were very clear — get Ellie to where she can be used to make a cure — even if they were subverted in the end.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2025
They'd lied to us and subverted the judicial process.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
As one editor explained, the opaqueness of these decisions allows for “plausible deniability” at any point in the chain—from publicists to indie bookstore employees—even as various parties might be deliberately subverting a book’s prospects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
From the film’s opening sequence, Fennell delights in subverting expectations.
From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2026
D’Aquino’s defense: She had been slyly subverting the propaganda machine the whole time, entertaining Americans with facetious language no one could take seriously and introducing upbeat American music the GIs actually loved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025
“It’s subverting expectations that you have of mothers and it’s subverting expectations of how you as an audience are going to feel while you watch it.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2024
Cool things going on with subverting trad, ideas of femininity etc.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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.
