sabotage

sabotage — verb

1. to secretly damage, disable, or destroy the machines, equipment, or property tha

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to secretly damage, disable, or destroy the machines, equipment, or property that an organization or enemy relies on, so that operations fail or an opponent gains an advantage

Example

Truck drivers found that someone had sabotaged the brakes on three company vehicles overnight.

transitive + physical equipment as object

Security cameras caught Ziad cutting the main water pipe to sabotage the factory's cooling system.

transitive + method clause

Common collocations
  • sabotage equipment
  • sabotage machinery
  • sabotage a factory
  • sabotage a pipeline
  • sabotage a computer system
Synonyms
  • vandalize

    more about random destruction rather than strategic, goal-oriented damage

  • disable

    focuses on making something unusable rather than destroying it entirely

  • wreck

    less specific about intent; can be accidental or careless damage

Antonyms
  • repair

    opposite action — fixing what was broken

  • maintain

    keeping equipment in working order rather than damaging it

Grammar Patterns

sabotage + something

Usage Note

Object is typically a physical system, piece of equipment, or infrastructure (e.g. a machine, pipeline, network, vehicle). Frequently used in passive voice or as a gerund (sabotaging).

Common Mistakes

The workers sabotaged.' (missing object)
The workers sabotaged the power supply.
'sabotage' is always transitive; you must state what was damaged.
He sabotaged some pencils.' (trivial object)
He sabotaged the assembly line.
'sabotage' implies significant or strategic damage, not minor vandalism.

2. to deliberately and often secretly cause a plan, process, relationship, or effor

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to deliberately and often secretly cause a plan, process, relationship, or effort to fail, especially by taking actions that seem helpful but are actually harmful

Example

Antonia discovered someone sabotaged her job interview by sending fake documents.

transitive + plan/event object

By arriving late each morning, Ryan sabotaged his team's bid for the sales contract.

cause-effect pattern

Common collocations
  • sabotage a plan
  • sabotage negotiations
  • sabotage a relationship
  • sabotage someone's career
  • sabotage peace talks
Synonyms
  • undermine

    more gradual process of weakening; less direct than sabotage

  • disrupt

    focuses on causing a temporary interruption rather than permanent failure

  • thwart

    emphasizes actively preventing someone from succeeding, often openly

Antonyms
  • support

    helping a plan succeed rather than causing its failure

  • facilitate

    making a process easier or smoother

Grammar Patterns

sabotage + something

Usage Note

Object is an intangible concept — a plan, deal, relationship, negotiation, process, or effort. Unlike sense 1, nothing physical is damaged. Common with 'try to sabotage', 'accused of sabotaging', and 'deliberately sabotaging'.

Common Mistakes

She sabotaged the meeting.' (too vague)
She sabotaged the meeting by hiding the agenda and unplugging the projector.
When used figuratively, include the method or context to make the meaning clear.
He sabotaged my idea.
He sabotaged my proposal by spreading false rumors about its cost.
'Sabotage' implies active, often secretive interference, not simple disagreement.

sabotage — noun

Word family

  • saboteur
    nounC1
  • sabotaging
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

The main difference lies in the method and directness of the action. 'Sabotage' suggests a secret, calculated act intended to cause failure, often involving deception or hidden damage — a rival company sabotaging a product launch by hacking the system. 'Undermine' implies a gradual, less visible process of weakening someone's position or confidence over time, like spreading rumors to undermine a colleague's authority. 'Disrupt' focuses on causing a temporary interruption rather than permanent failure; traffic was disrupted for an hour after the accident. 'Thwart' means to actively prevent someone from achieving a goal, often through direct opposition — the security guard thwarted the theft by locking the doors. 'Obstruct' suggests placing obstacles in the way without necessarily destroying anything, as when a committee member obstructs a vote by filing repeated objections.

undermine ↗disrupt ↗thwartobstruct

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • an act of sabotage
  • sabotage attempt
  • case of sabotage

Prepositions

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

From French 'sabotage', derived from 'sabot' — a wooden clog worn by factory workers. In early labour disputes during the Industrial Revolution, French workers would reportedly throw their wooden clogs into machinery to damage it and stop production. By the early 1900s, the word had spread beyond factory floors to describe any act of deliberate destruction or obstruction intended to harm an opponent or disrupt an operation.