- present participle of undo.
undoing
Americannoun
-
undoings
plural
-
the reversing of what has been done; annulling.
-
a bringing to destruction, ruin, or disaster.
-
a cause of destruction or ruin.
-
the act of unfastening or loosing.
-
Psychiatry. an unconscious defense mechanism through which an attempt is made to reverse a psychologically unacceptable act by doing its opposite, usually repetitiously, in order to relieve anxiety.
noun
-
ruin; downfall
-
the cause of downfall
drink was his undoing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of undoing
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at undo, -ing 1
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:
The appellate panel voiced serious doubts about undoing the consent decree at oral arguments in June.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
But the success of the scheme has also been its undoing – it's growing rapidly and costing the government too much.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
In LaSalle’s opinion, echoed by many critics at the time, the maudlin elements of the film’s third act are its undoing.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Think of it as undoing all the bad things that sitting does.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Unsleeping the Lord Odysseus lay, and roved in thought to the undoing of his enemies.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
The bills follow other subtle undoings that opponents have linked to prioritizing energy over conservation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2018
This novel ends where Shakespeare's Hamlet begins--after Act I, Scene 2, to be precise--and fills in the story of what the dramatis personae might have been up to before their tragic undoings at Elsinore.
From Time Magazine Archive
One of the production's inspired touches is to punctuate the private doings and undoings of the characters with snatches of contemporaneous news footage.
From Time Magazine Archive
Worldly doings and undoings on and around a posh golf course.
From Time Magazine Archive
Besides, our own undoings lies upon't, Were there no other cause, I do not see, Why you should go: If I should say you should not.
From Beaumont & Fletcher's Works (8 of 10) The Womans Prize; The Island Princess; The Noble Gentleman; The Coronation; The Coxcomb by Francis Beaumont
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.
