saboteur
noun
sab·o·teur ˌsa-bə-ˈtər 
-ˈtu̇r,
-ˈtyu̇r
: one that practices sabotage
Example Sentences
The car's tires were slashed by saboteurs.
Recent Examples on the Web At the end of season 1, Ricci's eager-to-please saboteur Misty was treading a highly unethical, possibly pathological track. 
Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 19 Aug. 2022 The explosions could be the work of Ukrainian special forces on the ground, local saboteur units, long-range weapons or a mix of all three, O’Brien said. Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 17 Aug. 2022 Snake in the Grass is a new competition series in which four contestants join together to win $100,000 — but one of them is a saboteur intent on undermining the team's efforts and winning the cash for him or herself. Sam Gillette, PEOPLE.com, 1 Aug. 2022 At the end of the journey, the players will meet in the Snake Pit and put forth a guess as to the identity of the saboteur. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 23 June 2022 But the extra precautions and personnel required cost the Soviets more money, prompting the Dnipro city government to accuse Schneersohn of being a saboteur. George Castle, chicagotribune.com, 5 Apr. 2022 By remaining in Kyiv at the time, Zelenskyy also faced personal danger, broadcasting from the capital despite Russian missiles hitting targets in the city every night and Russian saboteur units allegedly sent to kill him. Byguy Davies, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2022 The shootings have had a chilling effect on the saboteur network, Azarov said. Washington Post, 23 Apr. 2022 Any travel by private car, whatever the circumstances, risks an accidental shooting at a checkpoint by jittery Ukrainian soldiers patrolling for Russian saboteur groups after curfew. New York Times, 7 Apr. 2022 See More
Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 19 Aug. 2022 The explosions could be the work of Ukrainian special forces on the ground, local saboteur units, long-range weapons or a mix of all three, O’Brien said. Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 17 Aug. 2022 Snake in the Grass is a new competition series in which four contestants join together to win $100,000 — but one of them is a saboteur intent on undermining the team's efforts and winning the cash for him or herself. Sam Gillette, PEOPLE.com, 1 Aug. 2022 At the end of the journey, the players will meet in the Snake Pit and put forth a guess as to the identity of the saboteur. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 23 June 2022 But the extra precautions and personnel required cost the Soviets more money, prompting the Dnipro city government to accuse Schneersohn of being a saboteur. George Castle, chicagotribune.com, 5 Apr. 2022 By remaining in Kyiv at the time, Zelenskyy also faced personal danger, broadcasting from the capital despite Russian missiles hitting targets in the city every night and Russian saboteur units allegedly sent to kill him. Byguy Davies, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2022 The shootings have had a chilling effect on the saboteur network, Azarov said. Washington Post, 23 Apr. 2022 Any travel by private car, whatever the circumstances, risks an accidental shooting at a checkpoint by jittery Ukrainian soldiers patrolling for Russian saboteur groups after curfew. New York Times, 7 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
French, from saboter
First Known Use
1921, in the meaning defined above
saboteur
noun
as in destroyer
a person who destroys or damages something deliberately; a person who performs sabotage The car's tires were slashed by saboteurs. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- destroyer
- vandal
- demolisher
- wrecker
- ruiner
- despoiler
- waster
- desecrator
- defacer
- ravager
- desecrater
- graffitist
- tagger
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- protector
- saver
- preserver
- conservator
- conserver
- preservationist