Definition
Sabotage is the act of secretly damaging, blocking, or ruining something, especially to weaken an enemy or protest against a system. It can be done to machines, plans, or even reputations.
Etymology
From French *sabotage*, from *sabot* meaning 'wooden shoe' plus *-age*. One popular story says workers threw their wooden shoes into machines to break them, though historians debate this; more likely it referred to clumsy or deliberate bad work.
Kelly Says
Even if the shoe‑throwing story is a myth, people remember it because it perfectly captures the spirit of sabotage: using simple tools to jam powerful systems. The word turned everyday wooden shoes into symbols of rebellion. Language loves a good story, even when history is fuzzier than the legend.
Translations
AFAfrikaans
sabotasie
sa-bo-TAA-si
ARالعربية
تخريب
takh-REEB
BGБългарски
саботаж
sa-bo-TAZH
BNবাংলা
সাবোটাজ
sa-bo-TAZH
CACatalà
sabotatge
sa-bo-TA-dzhe
CSČeština
sabotáž
sa-bo-TAAZH
DADansk
sabotage
sa-bo-TAA-she
DEDeutsch
Sabotage
za-bo-TAA-zhe
ELΕλληνικά
σαμποτάζ
sam-bo-TAZ
ESEspañol
sabotaje
sa-bo-TA-he
ETEesti
saboteerimine
sa-bo-tee-ri-MI-ne
EUEuskara
sabotaje
sa-bo-TA-he
FAفارسی
خرابکاری
khar-aab-kaa-ri
FISuomi
sabotaasi
sa-bo-TAA-si
FRFrançais
sabotage
sa-bo-TAZH
GLGalego
sabotaxe
sa-bo-TA-she
HIहिन्दी
तोड़फोड़
tor-FOR
HRHrvatski
sabotaža
sa-bo-TA-zha
HUMagyar
szabotázs
SO-bo-taazh
IDBahasa Indonesia
sabotase
sa-bo-TA-se
ITItaliano
sabotaggio
sa-bo-TAD-jo
JA日本語
妨害工作
boo-gai koo-saku
LTLietuvių
sabotažas
sa-bo-TA-zhas
LVLatviešu
sabotaža
sa-bo-TA-zha
MNМонгол
саботаж
sa-bo-tazh
MSBahasa Melayu
sabotaj
sa-bo-TAZH
MYမြန်မာ
ဖျက်ဆီးခြင်း
hpyet-si-hkyin
NLNederlands
sabotage
sa-bo-TAA-zhe
NONorsk
sabotasje
sa-bo-TASH-e
PLPolski
sabotaż
sa-bo-TASH
PTPortuguês
sabotagem
sa-bo-TA-zhem
RORomână
sabotaj
sa-bo-TAZH
RUРусский
саботаж
sa-bo-TAZH
SKSlovenčina
sabotáž
sa-bo-TAAZH
SLSlovenščina
sabotaža
sa-bo-TA-zha
SRСрпски
саботажа
sa-bo-TA-zha
SVSvenska
sabotage
sa-bo-TAA-she
SWKiswahili
uharibifu
u-ha-ri-BI-fu
TAதமிழ்
சேதப்படுத்துதல்
se-tha-pa-du-tu-thal
TEతెలుగు
నాశనం
naa-sha-nam
THไทย
การก่อวินาศกรรม
gan gor wi-naat-sa-kam
TRTürkçe
sabotaj
sa-bo-TAZH
UKУкраїнська
саботаж
sa-bo-TAZH
VITiếng Việt
phá hoại
fa hoai