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Glite Dictionary
to undermine efforts

to undermine efforts

5 5.6
Make attempts to reach a goal weaker or less effective
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˌʌndərˈmaɪn ˈɛfərts/
translation icon : socavar los esfuerzos
  • Such responses threatened their integrity and undermined their efforts to maintain their autonomy.
  • undermine efforts to create
  • undermined efforts to improve
  • undermined international efforts

Once again, old rivalries undermine the war effort.

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Examples

  • Further examples abound of national interests or politics undermining EU efforts.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The new policy may undermine our efforts to reduce pollution in the city.

  • And in fact what happened in the Washington Consensus countries was it undermined the efforts to have a well functioning state.

    ReasonTV

  • Students found it was therefore important to choose peers who would positively impact their studying and not undermine their efforts.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Eight years later after The Who report, violence against women continues to undermine efforts to reach the MDG targets.

  • The absence of guidance on this point has the potential to undermine prosecutorial efforts.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The fear is that harm reduction would lead to new users and undermine efforts to engage current users in trying to achieve abstinence.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Private colleges, meanwhile, said the rule would undermine their efforts to rein in tuition growth.

    Academic text (2016)

  • Our focus on tackling the social determinants of TB should not undermine other ongoing efforts.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Past failures to prevent natural resource degradation have already undermined efforts to develop economies and alleviate poverty.

    Academic text (1992)

Synonyms

to weaken
vsto undermine efforts
305 2.8

To make people and things less strong or effective

narrows this idea to lowering how well specific attempts work
to undermine
vsto undermine efforts
270 6.8

Weaken a person or system slowly, often in secret, so it does not work well

focuses on reducing the effectiveness of attempts or actions aimed at success
to sabotage
vsto undermine efforts
164 7.1

To damage things on purpose so they stop working

is about weakening how well attempts succeed rather than violent destruction
to subvert
vsto undermine efforts
34 8.1

To secretly weaken a government, system, or its power

focuses on reducing the effectiveness of attempts rather than targeting institutions
to derail a plan
vsto undermine efforts
1 5.2

Cause a plan to fail or stop moving forward

applies more broadly to weakening many kinds of attempts, not only plans
to counterwork
vsto undermine efforts
8.2

Act against something to stop or slow it

targets reducing attempt effectiveness rather than direct opposition alone

Antonyms

support
∞ 1.0

Help for a person or idea

to enhance
424 4.0

Make something better or more attractive

How Effective

to sabotage
164 7.1
to derail
64 4.6
to undermine efforts
5 5.6
to frustrate
35 3.6
to impede
35 6.5

Surface Forms

undermine infinitive
undermined past
undermined past participle
undermining present participle
undermines third person singular

Morphology

undermine + effort

The verb 'undermine' means to weaken or damage and 'efforts' refers to attempts or actions toward a goal, so the combined meaning 'weaken attempts' is directly and transparently compositional. Although 'undermine' has a metaphorical origin, its sense of weakening authority or actions is predictable and parallels constructions in many languages, so a learner who knows both constituents will understand the phrase.

Etymology

The verb phrase undermine efforts comes from the image of digging under a building's base: to undermine is to remove the ground that holds something up, so the efforts become weak or can fall. That's why it now means 'to weaken or reduce the effectiveness' of plans or actions.