1
Damage equipment
Deliberately harm machinery or infrastructure.
Example
Investigators found that someone had sabotaged the signalling system.
sabotage
/ˈsæbətɑːʒ/ · SAB-uh-tahzhverb
To deliberately damage, obstruct, or undermine an effort, system, or property.
Use sabotage when harm is intentional and designed to make a project, organisation, or mechanism fail.
What sabotage Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Undermine a project
Intentionally cause an effort to fail.
Example
False data were inserted to sabotage the trial.
3
Obstruct a relationship or reputation
Act deliberately to destroy trust or cooperation.
Example
The forged message was intended to sabotage the negotiations.
Use sabotage Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Investigators found that someone had sabotaged the signalling system.
False data were inserted to sabotage the trial.
The forged message was intended to sabotage the negotiations.
Precision Matters
Sabotage overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
sabotage
vs.Requires deliberate interference aimed at failure.
undermine
Means weaken, sometimes without deliberate destruction.
sabotage
vs.Intends to cause failure or damage.
impede
Simply hinders or slows progress.
sabotage
vs.Damages or obstructs a system.
augment
Adds to and strengthens it—the contrast.
sabotage
vs.Destroys coordinated effort.
collaboration
Builds through joint work.
Test sabotage in Context
The interference is deliberate and intended to make the project fail.
1
The technician altered the calibration records in an attempt to ___ the experiment, hoping that unreliable results would force its cancellation.