Showing results for "undermining"

• present participle of undermine.

undermining

American  

[uhn-der-mahy-ning] / ˈʌn dərˌmaɪ nɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or process of injuring, attacking, or destroying something or someone indirectly or by imperceptible degrees, often leading to a dramatic collapse.

   The undermining of Scottish Gaelic as a viable language resulted not from decrees, but from a gradual weakening of independent Scottish institutions.

2. the act or process of weakening something or causing it to collapse by removing its underlying support, as by erosion.

   During the heavy rains, blocked sewers caused the flooding of the basement and the undermining of the wall by water.

3. the act of digging or tunneling underneath something, as a military stronghold.

   The siege works were now close enough to allow the undermining of some of the bastions of the fortress.

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adjective

1. weakening something or someone gradually or indirectly.

   Seating students in rows, so they cannot see each other’s faces, has an undermining effect on their engagement.

2. digging or tunneling underneath something, or removing or eroding its underlying support.

   The land along the shoreline collapsed because of undermining waves and currents.

Other Word Forms

• underminingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of undermining

First recorded in 1350–1400; undermin(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; undermin(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

undermining

Doing so will require combining overlapping operations, and eliminating jobs without undermining the movies, television shows and streaming programming Ellison and the company need to compete for audiences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

“The risk,” Bowler stresses, “is that a seemingly benign policy decision produces a disorderly bond market tantrum by undermining confidence in the broader policy mix.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

"Illegal off-roading also impacts farmers and landowners who manage these privately owned working landscapes, disrupting farming operations, increasing costs, and undermining long-term conservation efforts."

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

“While some progress has been achieved, including the promotion of meaningful observation within the Elections Office, Mr. Curtis has failed significantly in other core responsibilities, undermining the very principles he was appointed to uphold.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

After the German surrender, he brought one more argument to the table: using the bomb on Japan would fatally compromise America’s moral and humanitarian standing, undermining any efforts to create a workable international control regime.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• subversion