any underhand interference with production, work, etc., in a plant, factory, etc., as by enemy agents during wartime or by employees during a trade dispute.
any undermining of a cause.
verb (used with object),sab·o·taged,sab·o·tag·ing.
to injure or attack by sabotage.
Origin of sabotage
1865–70; <French, equivalent to sabot(er) to botch, originally, to strike, shake up, harry, derivative of sabotsabot + -age-age
Machel died in a 1986 plane crash in nearby South Africa, an incident widely believed to have been an act of sabotage by the country’s apartheid government.
How ‘A Luta Continua’ Became the Rallying Slogan for African Revolutions|Eromo Egbejule|October 9, 2020|Ozy
This not only was seen as election sabotage, but it pointlessly jeopardized paychecks, Medicare payments, and deliveries of needed pharmaceuticals to patients.
The President is going postal|jakemeth|August 20, 2020|Fortune
But was it necessary to try to sabotage her career and her book and spend hours of our own lives trying to make her life hell?
It's Dangerous to Go Alone: Why Are Gamers So Angry?|Arthur Chu|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the Russian sabotage and provocation operations currently underway?
What to Do When Russia Invades Your Country|Eli Lake|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Why the prime suspect is Pakistan—and the motive to sabotage any potential peace deal.
Taliban Peacemaker Agha Jan Motasim Locked Up|Jacob Siegel, Sami Yousafzai|April 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The truth is that Schwarzenegger is quite good in Sabotage, even if the rest of the movie isn't very good at all.
Is This the End of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Comeback?|Andrew Romano|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And yet in Sabotage I could start to see a way forward for him.
Is This the End of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Comeback?|Andrew Romano|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One or two accidents to the machinery lately looked like sabotage.
Dangerous Days|Mary Roberts Rinehart
The syndicalists strongly condemn any act of sabotage which may result in the loss of life.
Syndicalism in France|Louis Levine
There are those among the poor and the weak who preach arson, dynamite, and sabotage.
Violence and the Labor Movement|Robert Hunter
Then came the lean years: strikes and strike-breaking, sabotage and rioting, prison for Billy, and all but starvation for Saxon.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, January 7, 1914|Various
An intermediate form of sabotage is that known as sabotage bouche ouverte (sabotage of the open mouth).
Syndicalism in France|Louis Levine
British Dictionary definitions for sabotage
sabotage
/ (ˈsæbəˌtɑːʒ) /
noun
the deliberate destruction, disruption, or damage of equipment, a public service, etc, as by enemy agents, dissatisfied employees, etc
any similar action or behaviour
verb
(tr)to destroy, damage, or disrupt, esp by secret means
Word Origin for sabotage
C20: from French, from saboter to spoil through clumsiness (literally: to clatter in sabots)
Did You Know How This Word Was Formed?Words are funny things. Here are some that might not mean what you thought ... at least when they were originally formed.