undermine

Use Undermine in a sentence

verb (used with object), un·der·mined, un·der·min·ing.

to injure or destroy by insidious activity or imperceptible stages, sometimes tending toward a sudden dramatic effect.

to attack by indirect, secret, or underhand means; attempt to subvert by stealth.

to make an excavation under; dig or tunnel beneath, as a military stronghold.

to weaken or cause to collapse by removing underlying support, as by digging away or eroding the foundation.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English underminen. See under-, mine²

Related forms

un·der·min·er, noun

un·der·min·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To undermine

Relevant Questions

What Is Undermining?

00:10

Undermine is an LSAT word you need to know.

So is phenomenon. Does it mean:

opposite or contrary in direction, action, sequence, etc.; turned around.

a fact, occurrence, or circumstance observed or observable:

LEARN MORE LSAT WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Collins

World English Dictionary

undermine (ˌʌndəˈmaɪn)

—vb
1.	(of the sea, wind, etc) to wear away the bottom or base of (land, cliffs, etc)
2.	to weaken gradually or insidiously: their insults undermined her confidence
3.	to tunnel or dig beneath

under'miner

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

undermine

c.1300, undermyne, from under + mine (v.). The fig. sense is attested from c.1430. Cf. Du. ondermijnen, Dan. underminere, Ger. unterminiren.

Example sentences

And that involvement could undermine the special operators' mission.

Third, they must not undermine incentives to conserve endangered species in the

wild.

ID is an outgrowth of a desire to undermine evolutionary science, which is

perceived to be a threat to their religious worldview.

If sympathy isn't genuine, it will undermine your efforts.

Remove ads like these. Upgrade now!

factious fossick kerf knife menticide number

Matching Quote

"You are outside life, you are above life, you have miseries which the ordinary man does not know, you exceed the normal level, and it is for this that men refuse to forgive you, you poison their peace of mind, you undermine their stability. You have irrepressible pains whose essence is to be inadaptable to any known state, indescribable in words. You have repeated and shifting pains, incurable pains, pains beyond imagining, pains which are neither of the body nor of the soul, but which partake of both. And I share your suffering, and I ask you: who dares to ration our relief?... We are not going to kill ourselves just yet. In the meantime, leave us the hell alone."

-Antonin Artaud