Search
Select the dictionary language
to undermine
01
to gradually decrease the effectiveness, confidence, or power of something or someone
Transitive: to undermine power or intensity of something
Grammatical Information
Composition
derived
Action verb
Regular
Present tense
undermine
3rd person singular
undermines
Present participle
undermining
Past simple
undermined
Past participle
undermined
Examples
Skipping maintenance checks might undermine the long-term reliability of the equipment.
02
to dig or make a hollow space beneath a structure or surface
Transitive: to undermine a structure or part of land
Examples
Over time, the river managed to undermine sections of the cliff, causing rockfalls.
Lexical Tree
undermine
mine
