as in destruction
the act of destroying or damaging something deliberately so that it does not work correctly
Angry workers were responsible for the sabotage of the machines. Officials have not yet ruled out sabotage as a possible cause of the crash.
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1
as in to thwart
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2
as in to destroy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sabotage
Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Their antics include sabotage, catfishing, and even kidnapping, all while viewers slowly see how this animosity stems from unresolved issues in the characters’ lives.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Jan. 2026
Dan De Luce, NBC news, 1 Jan. 2026
In a Monday court filing, the Consumer Attorneys of California accused Uber of using a subpoena in that lawsuit to try to penetrate and sabotage its political operation.
—Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sabotage
Noun
Under Budanov, the GUR expanded its operational footprint, coordinating intelligence, sabotage and special operations aimed at degrading Russian military capabilities far beyond the front lines.
—Verb
Zelenskyy vehemently rejected Russia’s allegation in posts on social media, accusing Moscow of trying to sabotage peace negotiations.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for sabotage
Noun
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Since the boycott, PEN has donated to Palestinian aid organizations, highlighted writers and journalists who have been targeted and killed by Israel, and released a report on the deliberate destruction of Palestinian cultural heritage.—
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Consumers and retailers should destroy affected products and not return them, as Gold Star will issue refunds with proof of destruction.—
Verb
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Citizens of Minneapolis took to the streets, throwing snowballs at their own local police and local businesses proudly displayed signs in their windows instructing people how to use whistles to thwart ICE.—
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The Irvine Police Department arrested two people after officers thwarted a $100,000 handbag heist early Tuesday morning.—
Verb
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So, automation can be used to destroy labor or workers’ power, but it can also be used in the opposite direction.—
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Homes, businesses and synagogues were destroyed.—
Noun
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The coaches also decided King’s wrecking-ball approach was effective.—
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The addresses listed in the wrecking permits border the east of the truck plant where Ford makes its iconic Super Duty trucks, Expedition SUVs and luxury Lincoln Navigators.—
Verb
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Games that are too easy bore older players, while overly complex games can frustrate younger ones.—
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But while Coogan racked up millions of views for his YouTube explainers about political figures like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, he was frustrated by the hours of prep work that went into producing a single episode.—
Verb
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And, from this week’s issue, Nicola Twilley’s reporting on another lingering effect of the wildfires—smoke taint that is ruining grapes and threatening California’s wine industry.—
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This will either change your life or ruin you.—
Verb
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Nine years after foiling a lucrative weapons tradeoff and delivering Roper to Syrian captors, Pine has gone undercover again, eventually reuniting with foreign investigator Angela Burr (Colman) as an MI6 operative.—
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Bobrovsky foiled Matthews on a breakaway against Florida’s overly aggressive penalty killing during a Toronto power play nearly six minutes into the first period.—
Verb
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Guardiola’s lads look back to their best in the early months of this season after the extended wobble in the previous one that wrecked their hopes of a fifth straight domestic title.—
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Phillips croons about a mother’s bond with her child as Swinton walks off, her character freshly wrecked by a visit with her son in prison.—
Cite this Entry
“Sabotage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sabotage. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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