New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
Undermine — Un der*mine , v. t. 1. To excavate the earth beneath, or the part of, especially for the purpose of causing to fall or be overthrown; to form a mine under; to sap; as, to undermine a wall. [1913 Webster] A vast rock undermined from one end to the … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Undermine — can refer to* The military practise of mining a fortification, see Mining (military) * The fictional Transformers character see Undermine (Transformers) * The fictional Warcraft location see Undermine (Warcraft) … Wikipedia
undermine — index check (restrain), corrupt, countervail, debilitate, disable, disarm (divest of arms), discommode … Law dictionary
undermine — (v.) c.1300, undermyne, from UNDER (Cf. under) + MINE (Cf. mine) (v.). The figurative sense is attested from early 15c. Cf. Du. ondermijnen, Dan. underminere, Ger. unterminiren. Related: Undermined; undermining … Etymology dictionary
undermine — *weaken, enfeeble, debilitate, sap, cripple, disable Analogous words: *ruin, wreck: *injure, damage, impair: thwart, foil, *frustrate Antonyms: reinforce … New Dictionary of Synonyms
undermine — [v] weaken attenuate, blunt, clip one’s wings*, corrode, cripple, debilitate, dig, dig out*, disable, eat away*, enfeeble, erode, excavate, foil, frustrate, hollow out, hurt, impair, knock the bottom out of*, mine, poke full of holes*, ruin,… … New thesaurus
undermine — ► VERB 1) erode the base or foundation of (a rock formation). 2) dig or excavate beneath (a building or fortification) so as to make it collapse. 2) weaken gradually or insidiously … English terms dictionary
undermine — [un΄dər mīn′, un′dər mīn΄] vt. undermined, undermining 1. to dig beneath; excavate ground from under, so as to form a tunnel or mine 2. to wear away and weaken the supports of [erosion is undermining the wall] 3. to injure, weaken, or impair, esp … English World dictionary
undermine — [[t]ʌ̱ndə(r)ma͟ɪn[/t]] ♦♦♦ undermines, undermining, undermined 1) VERB If you undermine something such as a feeling or a system, you make it less strong or less secure than it was before, often by a gradual process or by repeated efforts. [V n]… … English dictionary
undermine — 01. It [undermines] a teacher s authority if the principal doesn t support her in matters of discipline. 02. The West is accused of deliberately trying to [undermine] this nation s government. 03. Lowering prices now will just [undermine] our… … Grammatical examples in English
undermine */*/ — UK [ˌʌndə(r)ˈmaɪn] / US [ˌʌndərˈmaɪn] verb [transitive] Word forms undermine : present tense I/you/we/they undermine he/she/it undermines present participle undermining past tense undermined past participle undermined 1) a) to make something or… … English dictionary
