undermine
Americanverb (used with object)
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to injure or destroy by insidious activity or imperceptible stages, sometimes tending toward a sudden dramatic effect.
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to attack by indirect, secret, or underhand means; attempt to subvert by stealth.
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to make an excavation under; dig or tunnel beneath, as a military stronghold.
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to weaken or cause to collapse by removing underlying support, as by digging away or eroding the foundation.
verb
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(of the sea, wind, etc) to wear away the bottom or base of (land, cliffs, etc)
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to weaken gradually or insidiously
their insults undermined her confidence
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to tunnel or dig beneath
Other Word Forms
- underminer noun
Etymology
Origin of undermine
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English underminen; under-, mine 2
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.
"We really need to be careful, it undermines democracy because people start to question what is true."
From BBC
Chikli’s new rules, the groups say, are part of an effort to undermine their ability to work and provide aid to Gazans.
Asian currencies consolidated against the dollar in early trade, but may be weighed by geopolitical tensions that typically undermine risk appetite.
The idea is to end some importers’ preferential dollar-exchange rate—which had fed arbitrage and corruption and undermined the rial—and replace it with direct consumer subsidies.
"That division obviously undermines a regional solution... Without shared premises and minimum consensus, it’s obviously very difficult to respond at the regional level," said Jaramillo.
From Barron's
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.
