Definitions for undermine
ˌʌn dərˈmaɪn or, esp. for 1,2,4 , ˈʌn dərˌmaɪnun·der·mine

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. sabotage, undermine, countermine, counteract, subvert, weakenverb

   destroy property or hinder normal operations

   "The Resistance sabotaged railroad operations during the war"

2. cave, undermineverb

   hollow out as if making a cave or opening

   "The river was caving the banks"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. undermineverb

   To dig underneath (something), to make a passage or for destructive or military purposes; to sap.

2. undermineverb

   To weaken or work against; to hinder, sabotage.

   The war efforts were undermined by the constant bickering between the allies.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To Undermineverb

   Etymology: under and mine.

   1. To dig cavities under any thing, so that it may fall, or be blown up; to sap.

   Though the foundation on a rock were laid,
   The church was undermin’d and then betray’d. John Denham.

   An injudicious endeavour to exalt Virgil , is much the same, as if one should think to raise the superstructure by undermining the foundation. Alexander Pope, Iliad. Preface to the.

   2. To excavate under.

   A vast rock undermin’d from one end to the other, and a highway running through it, as long and as broad as the mall. Joseph Addison, Remarks on Italy.

   3. To injure by clandestine means.

   Making the king’s sword strike whom they hated, the king’s purse reward whom they loved; and, which is worst of all, making the royal countenance serve to undermine the royal sovereignty. Philip Sidney.

   They, knowing Eleanor’s aspiring humour,
   Have hir’d me to undermine the dutchess. William Shakespeare.

   The father secure,
   Ventures his filial virtue,
   Against whate’er may tempt, whate’er seduce,
   Allure or terrify, or undermine. John Milton.

   The undermining smile becomes habitual; and the drift of his plausible conversation, is only to flatter one, that he may betray another. Dryden.

   He should be warn’d who are like to undermine him, and who to serve him. John Locke, on Education.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. undermine

   Undermine is a verb which usually means to weaken or damage someone or something gradually or insidiously, often in secret or without it being noticed. This could refer to a person's confidence, authority, or power, as well as to structures or institutions. It can also mean to dig or excavate beneath a structure to make it collapse.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. Undermineverb

   to excavate the earth beneath, or the part of, especially for the purpose of causing to fall or be overthrown; to form a mine under; to sap; as, to undermine a wall

2. Undermineverb

   fig.: To remove the foundation or support of by clandestine means; to ruin in an underhand way; as, to undermine reputation; to undermine the constitution of the state

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Undermine

   un-dėr-mīn′, v.t. to form mines under, in order to destroy: to destroy secretly the foundation or support of anything.—n. Undermī′ner, one who undermines, a secret enemy.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. undermine

   To dig an excavation under any fort, house, or other building, so as to cause it to fall down or to blow it up with powder.

Matched Categories

1. • Disobey
   • Hollow Out

British National Corpus

1. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'undermine' in Verbs Frequency: #716

Anagrams for undermine »

1. unermined

How to pronounce undermine?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say undermine in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of undermine in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of undermine in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of undermine in a Sentence

1. Elissa Weitzman:

   We have a long history of attempting to control alcohol consumption in public venues, at tailgating and sports events, where binge drinking by young people in crowd situations is often dangerous, and this product seems designed to undermine those attempts.

2. Thom Tillis:

   The election is going to be held in November. Absentee ballots in North Carolina are strongly encouraged, as has the President encouraged them. The safe side to a mail-in vote, I hope we get it mostly... Because otherwise they're gon na undermine the integrity of the election.

3. Faysal Itani:

   An IS defeat in Kobani would quite visibly undermine the perception of unstoppable momentum and inevitable victory that IS managed to project, particularly after it captured Mosul.

4. Steve Vladeck:

   Alone among the conservatives, Chief Justice Roberts calls out the Texas law for what it is -- a transparent attempt not just to undermine Roe, but to make it hard for such a restriction to be blocked, it's a pretty powerful sign that Chief Justice Roberts, at least, is not ready to overrule Roe.

5. Brad Woodhouse:

   Tonight, as the president and The Trump administration launch their most dangerous sabotage effort yet, we are seeing just how far Republicans are willing to go in their quest to undermine the American health care system.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=undermine
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Undermine
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=undermine
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undermine
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=undermine
7. ^ Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/59563/pg59563-images.html