as in sabotage
secret efforts to weaken or ruin a political system or government from within
They were arrested on charges of political subversion.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subversion
Kennedy’s subversion of vaccines, subtle at times, glaring at others, goes far beyond the measles outbreak.
—
Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
Vance’s core complaint was that countries such as Germany are engaged in censorship, thought control, and the subversion of democracy.
—The Editors, National Review, 18 Feb. 2025
Stan’s gutsy subversion of his looks won him the Silver Bear for leading performance at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival and the Golden Globe for acting in a comedy or musical last month.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
In 2020, Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, introducing the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for four main crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subversion
Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
Vance’s core complaint was that countries such as Germany are engaged in censorship, thought control, and the subversion of democracy.
—The Editors, National Review, 18 Feb. 2025
Stan’s gutsy subversion of his looks won him the Silver Bear for leading performance at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival and the Golden Globe for acting in a comedy or musical last month.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
In 2020, Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, introducing the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for four main crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subversion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subversion
Noun
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Cannes got its own cliff-hanger ending on Saturday, the final day of the 78th film festival, when a power outage, apparently caused by deliberate sabotage, shut down the power grid serving the city and much of the surrounding region.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2025
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According to the agencies, the GRU hackers also carried out reconnaissance of the network of at least one producer of industrial control system components for railway systems—suggesting a possible intention to attempt sabotage—but didn’t actually succeed in breaching the company.—
Andy Greenberg,
Wired News,
24 May 2025
Noun
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What’s the political climate, social climate that has to exist in order for an insurrection to appear?—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
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It was suspended across the states during the entire Civil War; in counties in South Carolina that were overrun by the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction; in specific places in the Philippines during an insurrection in 1905; and in Hawaii following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Lee’s campaign has asserted that a sitting president cannot be criminally prosecuted, except in cases of treason.—
Jong Eun Lee,
The Conversation,
29 May 2025
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The cost of failure would have been death on the grounds of treason.—
Daniel Twining,
National Review,
22 May 2025
Noun
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The rebellion ramps up, but not without struggle, sacrifice, and Serena's help.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
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His relationship with Elisabeth Moss’ June was a complicated matter that involved fathering one of her children, assisting her efforts to escape from/bring down Gilead and then betraying her at a crucial point in the rebellion.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
20 May 2025
Noun
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But residents say in the aftermath of the unrest, police — even ambulances — avoided coming here.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
23 May 2025
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This cultural suppression continued for decades, as political unrest escalated and the state’s grip on artistic expression tightened.—
Ali Farahmand,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Press play below to learn more about Wells’ treachery, and to get a sneak peek at the fugitive interacting with her latest target.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
7 Apr. 2025
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Sinners is one of the great vampire movies of the modern age, mining the legend of these perpetual outsiders who desperately yearn to belong, but whose silky promises are rooted in treachery.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subversion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subversion. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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