subvert

verb

səb-ˈvərt How to pronounce subvert (audio)
Definition of subvertnext
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality by insisting that she pay me for helping her, she subverted my noble desire to do a good deed without reward

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subvert Inside the ‘Trojan horse’ networks Congress says US adversaries use to subvert America. — FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026 Stalter made a statement with her look at the 2025 Emmys, too, subverting the event’s formal dress code. — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026 They children have found workarounds to subvert restrictions, such as using a free VPN to bypass age checks—some of which have questionable data-collection practices. — IEEE Spectrum, 14 Sep. 2026 His effortless confidence and surprising tact with women of all ages continually subvert what audiences (and his father Hank) think of him. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for subvert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subvert
  1. degrade
  2. weaken
  3. corrupt
  4. destroy
  5. humiliate
  6. debase
  7. poison
  8. dilute
Verb
  • As a side benefit, because only the tread is in contact with the road, the rest of the tire could be made of non-traditional polymers that don't degrade into tiny particles under force of friction.
    — Ben Coxworth October 07, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Local farms face ever degrading soil conditions, tougher markets and more extreme weather patterns.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of degrade
Verb
  • Fink said the churn weakens the tie between a worker and an employer.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Other potential causes are higher rates of chronic stress, depression and anxiety, as well as autoimmune diseases, which weaken the immune system, Curhan said.
    — Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of weaken
Verb
  • Delphi sits above a geologic vent, an X from which noxious gases escaped the earth, corrupting the minds of women who inhaled and pronounced their prophecies.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The audience is interacting with an object that had been scanned, that had been corrupted in some way.
    — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Verb
  • Although much of the population in Java converted to Islam and Borobudur was abandoned, it was not destroyed.
    — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Careers are destroyed, lawsuits follow, and administrators calculate their exposure.
    — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • This caution is surprising in a writer who has elsewhere been fearless about identity and America, attentive to the country’s institutional capacity to humiliate, compromise, and implicate the people who claim it.
    — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • But the Saudis, humiliated by their losses in Yemen, seem likely to lash out.
    — Kareem Fahim, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of humiliate
Verb
  • This rousing tribute to the free press, delivered by the son of a journalist, was followed by the world premiere of Danny Boyle’s Ink, a film about how the journalists at British tabloid The Sun ended up debasing our entire society.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The bulk of these are in regions like Africa and South America, where governments have repeatedly debased national currencies, and prompted their citizens to seek out sturdier assets like Tether’s dollar and gold offerings instead.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of debase
Verb
  • Plus, some samples of Martian soil contain high levels of perchlorates, toxic chemical compounds, also found in rocket fuel, that could potentially poison the planet’s supplies of water and food.
    — Brian Gallagher, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Could something so commonplace really be slowly poisoning people?
    — Sean McCann, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of poison
Verb
  • So to give the Senate itself more power to pass popular bills, the pair will need to find 67 senators willing to dilute their own individual power — at least just a little bit.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • There is a fear that a company will be forced to dilute shareholders or choke itself with expensive debt to build factories to fulfill orders.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of dilute

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subvert
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Cite this Entry

“Subvert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subvert. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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