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
-
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:
Downs: We wanted to subvert what you’ve seen on TV before in terms of a manager.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 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
Critics of the bills say they subvert the rights of local communities.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026
"The United States is under no obligation to admit or suffer the presence of individuals who subvert our laws and deny our citizens their constitutional rights," it added in a statement.
From Barron's ● Mar. 9, 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
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
However the company had previously come out strongly against this kind of data collection, saying in a 2019 blog that fingerprinting "subverts user choice and is wrong."
From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2025
Department of Transportation program, Safe Streets For All, which subverts the traditional relationship between states and cities by doling out road money directly to cities and towns for the first time.
From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2024
I want anything that breaks the monotony, subverts the perceived respectable order of things.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
The series offered a look at Mormon moms in Utah that subverted viewers’ expectations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
In 1921, hoteliers in Atlantic City subverted that idea by creating their own revue of “bathing beauties,” held the week after Labor Day as a way to extend the summer season.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
"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
Some collaborated, some left, some resisted, some subverted and some just tried to get by.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2025
They'd lied to us and subverted the judicial process.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
The removals were dubious from a legal standpoint, subverting due process and legal proceedings linked to extradition treaties signed by Mexico, say lawyers, security analysts and former officials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
He’s playing a character but also subverting our impression of him as an uncompromising, ultra-serious auteur.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
"It has lots of what you loved about the first Squid Game, from 2021, but has little interest in surpassing, much less subverting, its predecessor".
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2024
“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.
