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# sabotage

noun (sabotage; uncountable); verb (sabotage, sabotages, sabotaged, sabotaging)

«sabotage» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Damaging or destroying something on purpose, especially machines, roads or plans, to stop an enemy or rival. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sabotage/#m1)
2. (verb) To damage something on purpose. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sabotage/#m2)
3. To secretly spoil someone's plan or chance. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sabotage/#m3)

### In the lessons

In history lessons, resistance fighters in World War II sabotaged railways and factories. In everyday life a person can «sabotage» a game or a group project by spoiling it on purpose. In stories it is a villain's trick. Phrases: «act of sabotage», «sabotage someone's plans», «self-sabotage».

### Examples

- The spies planned sabotage on the bridge. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sabotage/#x1)
- Someone sabotaged our sandcastle while we were swimming. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sabotage/#x2)
- Don't sabotage the group project by not doing your part. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sabotage/#x3)
- The train crash was caused by sabotage, not an accident. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sabotage/#x4)
- She thought her rival had sabotaged her bike. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sabotage/#x5)
- Staying up late before a test is self-sabotage. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sabotage/#x6)

### Note

Pronounced «SAB-uh-tahzh». From French. Regular verb: sabotaged. Myth: it is often said the word comes from workers throwing wooden shoes (sabots) into machines; that story is probably made up. Damaging property on purpose is a crime.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «sabotage» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sabotage/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«sabotage» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sabotage.html) on Mova free.