What does saboteur mean?
A saboteur is someone who deliberately disrupts or damages an activity, organization, plan, or process. The word suggests intentional interference rather than an accident, mistake, or ordinary disagreement, and it commonly carries an accusatory or strongly negative connotation. Saboteurs may tamper with equipment, obstruct work, spread misinformation, or otherwise undermine the success of a venture. In journalistic, historical, military, and security contexts, the term often refers to an agent acting for an opposing group, although it can apply more generally to anyone who intentionally sabotages a shared undertaking. The related noun sabotage names the disruptive act itself, while saboteur identifies the person responsible. Together, the terms are especially useful when discussing deliberate obstruction, covert resistance, or damage caused to a person or system in the course of an operation.
nounA person who deliberately sabotages or disrupts an activity, organization, or plan.
- A person who deliberately sabotages or disrupts an activity, organization, or plan.
"The investigators identified several saboteurs who had tampered with the equipment before the launch."
"The saboteur cut the power cable before the ceremony began."
"Historians debated whether the fire had been caused by a saboteur or by an accident."
The regular plural is used when referring to more than one person who deliberately disrupts or sabotages something.
"Several saboteurs were responsible for the damage."
The word saboteur comes from the French word for a worker using a sabot, or wooden shoe: its modern sense grew from the idea of “putting a sabot in the works.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does saboteur come from?
The word comes from French saboteur, originally a person who worked with sabots, or wooden shoes. The modern sense developed through the French verb saboter, meaning to interfere with or impede, probably influenced by the practice of putting a sabot into machinery to obstruct it. English borrowed saboteur in the 19th century, alongside the related noun sabotage.
Related word forms
How saboteur is actually used
The term usually carries a negative or accusatory connotation and is used for intentional interference that damages or obstructs a person, institution, plan, or process. It is less common than the related noun sabotage and is often used in contexts involving conflict, investigation, or security.
Easily confused with saboteur
A saboteur is the person who causes sabotage, whereas sabotage is the act of deliberately damaging, obstructing, or undermining something.