Link Centre Dictionary

subvert

sub·vert

UK/ˈsʌbvət/ US/ˈsʌbvɚt/ rare

verb

1.

cause the downfall of; of rulers

  • “The Czar was overthrown”
  • “subvert the ruling class”
3.

destroy property or hinder normal operations

  • “The Resistance sabotaged railroad operations during the war”
4.

destroy completely

  • “we must not let our civil liberties be subverted by the current crisis”

Origin

From Middle English subverten, from Old French subvertir, from Latin subvertō (“to overthrow”, literally “to underturn, turn from beneath”).

Related words

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.