undermine
/ˌʌn.dɚˈmaɪn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.65 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To dig underneath (something), to make a passage for destructive or military purposes; to sap.
Example Sentences
- "Martin, for instance, had on one occasion undermined a tree sacred to old gods, then stood in the path of its fall, but forced it to fall elsewhere by making the sign of the Cross."
- "The war efforts were undermined by the constant bickering between the allies."
- "The penile mishaps (one involving a bristled toothbrush), severings (one involves hungry ducks) and surgeries cited by Ms. Roach are nothing if not memorable, but her book consistently undermines its own discoveries."
- "The growing use of social media to spread anger and dissent in the Arab world has been hailed by western governments as one of the chief justifications for a completely unfettered internet. The US is reportedly funding the secret rollout of technology in Iran in an effort to undermine internet censors in the country."
- "When Morrison mulls the pluses and minuses associated with rebuking Kelly for undermining the government’s public health messaging, the prime minister faces a genuine substantive dilemma, and that goes to the risks of amplification."
- "The 'partygate' controversy has played a major part in undermining the credibility of Boris Johnson and his Government and has led to calls from senior MPs for him to resign."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Indo-European *-tér Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér Proto-Indo-European *h₂én Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *-dʰi ? Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰí Proto-Indo-European *-ér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér Proto-Germanic *under Proto-West Germanic *undar Old English under- Middle English under- English under- English mine English undermine From under- + mine.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌʌn.dɚˈmaɪn/
- British English: /ˌʌn.dəˈmaɪn/