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to undermine
01
to gradually decrease the effectiveness, confidence, or power of something or someone
Transitive: to undermine power or intensity of something
Examples
Skipping maintenance checks might undermine the long-term reliability of the equipment.
Constant criticism can undermine a person's self-confidence.
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.
The construction crew had to be careful not to undermine the walls when digging the basement.
Lexical Tree
undermine
mine
