MEANING
1. To reduce strength, confidence, or effectiveness through indirect or cumulative action.
2. To excavate or erode beneath a structure or surface.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- undermine confidence
- undermine an argument
On the page
Repeated exceptions undermined confidence in the rule.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- undermine
- Past tense
- undermined
- Past participle
- undermined
- Present participle
- undermining
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- undermine
- Present continuous
- am/is/are undermining
- Present perfect
- have/has undermined
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been undermining
- Past
- undermined
- Past continuous
- was/were undermining
- Past perfect
- had undermined
- Past perfect continuous
- had been undermining
- Future
- will undermine
- Future continuous
- will be undermining
- Future perfect
- will have undermined
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been undermining
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: analysis / argumentation / evidence. Forms: undermine; undermines; undermined; undermined; undermining Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: argumentation, evidence, inference. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: undermines.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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