sabotear
to sabotage
verb sah-boh-teh-AHR Rare
Origin: French saboter, from sabot, 'wooden shoe' (workers destroying machinery)
Usage Note
Sabotear means to deliberately damage or obstruct a process, machine, or plan. Both literal sabotage (cutting cables) and figurative sabotage (undermining a negotiation) are common uses. The noun is sabotaje and the agent is saboteador.
Examples
"Intentaron sabotear las elecciones con información falsa."
Natural Translation
They tried to sabotage the elections with false information.
Related Words
Explore Spanish by topic
SpanishNow
6 min read