undermine
verb /ˌʌndəˈmaɪn/
/ˌʌndərˈmaɪn/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they undermine | /ˌʌndəˈmaɪn/ /ˌʌndərˈmaɪn/ |
| he / she / it undermines | /ˌʌndəˈmaɪnz/ /ˌʌndərˈmaɪnz/ |
| past simple undermined | /ˌʌndəˈmaɪnd/ /ˌʌndərˈmaɪnd/ |
| past participle undermined | /ˌʌndəˈmaɪnd/ /ˌʌndərˈmaɪnd/ |
| -ing form undermining | /ˌʌndəˈmaɪnɪŋ/ /ˌʌndərˈmaɪnɪŋ/ |
- undermine something/somebody to make something, especially somebody’s confidence or authority, gradually weaker or less effective
- Our confidence in the team has been seriously undermined by their recent defeats.
- This crisis has undermined his position.
- Recent changes have undermined teachers’ morale.
- The director saw this move as an attempt to undermine his authority.
- It's all a plot to undermine me.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- greatly
- radically
- seriously
- …
- threaten to
- attempt to
- seek to
- …
- undermine something to make something weaker at the base, for example by digging under it
Word OriginMiddle English: from under- + the verb mine, probably suggested by Middle Dutch ondermineren.