sabotieren
Translation
to sabotage, to undermine, to disrupt
Examples
Sie versuchten, den Plan zu sabotieren.
They tried to sabotage the plan.
Der Feind hat die Brücke sabotiert.
The enemy sabotaged the bridge.
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) to sabotage sth. The workers sabotaged the machines.
Similar Words
stören (to disturb), behindern (to hinder), untergraben (to undermine)
Etymology
From French 'saboter', meaning to work clumsily, derived from 'sabot' (a wooden shoe), later meaning to deliberately destroy.
Memory Tips
Think of throwing a wooden shoe ('sabot') into machinery to 'sabotage' it. The word is a direct cognate with English.