subvert (v.)

  1. cause the downfall of; of rulers; The Czar was overthrown; subvert the ruling class

    [ Syn: overthrow , overturn , bring down ]

  2. corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality; debauch the young people with wine and women; Socrates was accused of corrupting young men; Do school counselors subvert young children?; corrupt the morals

    [ Syn: corrupt , pervert , demoralize , demoralise , debauch , debase , profane , vitiate , deprave , misdirect ]

  3. destroy property or hinder normal operations; The Resistance sabotaged railroad operations during the war

    [ Syn: sabotage , undermine , countermine , counteract , weaken ]

  4. destroy completely; we must not let our civil liberties be subverted by the current crisis'

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.