Dictionary / sabotage
sabotage
- noun
- verb
- from French
A deliberate action aimed at weakening someone (or something, a nation, etc) or preventing them from being successful, through subversion, obstruction, disruption, and/or destruction.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “sabotage” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
noun
- uncountableusuallyA deliberate action aimed at weakening someone (or something, a nation, etc) or preventing them from being successful, through subversion, obstruction, disruption, and/or destruction.
verb
- To deliberately destroy or damage something in order to prevent it from being successful.
The railway line had been sabotaged by enemy commandos.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (2)
- nouna deliberate act of destruction or disruption in which equipment is damaged
- verbdestroy property or hinder normal operations — also: undermine, countermine, counteract, subvert, weaken
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)sabotage
- Frenchsabotage
Unadapted borrowing from French sabotage.
Derivatives — words built from “sabotage”
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “sabotage” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “sabotage” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Wiktionary’s etymology does not give a separate meaning for the earliest form of “sabotage”, so we don’t state one. The historical dictionary entry below shows how the word was understood in 1913.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
verbMeaning: To deliberately destroy or damage something in order to prevent it from being successful.
The railway line had been sabotaged by enemy commandos.
Our plans were sabotaged.
verbMeaning: destroy property or hinder normal operations
The Resistance sabotaged railroad operations during the war
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
sabotage
/ˈsæ.bəˌtɑːʒ/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
sabotage
/ˈsæ.bəˌtɑːʒ/ · noun, verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “sabotage” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “sabotage” and what each means:
Step 4 — Original meaning
Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 5 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — sabotage
Origin: C. French (French sabotage)
Journey: English sabotage ← French sabotage
Some derivatives: antisabotage, countersabotage, cybersabotage, cybotage, ecotage, sabotageable, sabotagist, saboteur
Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from French sabotage.
Sources: Wiktionary “sabotage” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sabotage#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/sabotage