sabotage
sabotage Lexical Profile
sabotage Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The deliberate destruction, damage, or obstruction of equipment, property, or a process, especially for political, strategic, or competitive advantage.
"Investigators concluded that the sudden failure of the factory's cooling system was an act of industrial sabotage."
• verb
To deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct (something, such as equipment, a plan, or a reputation), especially for strategic or personal advantage.
"Procrastination and self-doubt can easily sabotage even the most carefully prepared career plans."
• Rhymes for sabotage
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 20th century from French sabotage, derived from saboter ('to clatter with wooden shoes' or 'to bungle/wreck') and sabot ('wooden clog'). A popular folk etymology claims French workers threw their wooden clogs into factory machinery to halt production, though linguistically it developed from the idea of noisy, clumsy, or destructive work.