undermine

音標發(fā)音

undermine的基本意思是“削弱…的基礎(chǔ)”,指逐漸地、常不被人察覺地破壞某一事物的根基,而使其遭到損壞,這種破壞可源於自然,也可源於人爲破壞。
undermine是及物動詞,接名詞或代詞作賓語,可用於被動結(jié)搆。
undermine引申可作“損壞”解,這種損壞不是突然間的,而是有一個長期的過程,用作及物動詞,接名詞或代詞作賓語。

to make someone less confident, less powerful, or less likely to succeed, or to make something weaker, often gradually

If you undermine something such as a feeling or a system, you make it less strong or less secure than it was before, often by a gradual process or by repeated efforts.
If you undermine someone or undermine their position or authority, you make their authority or position less secure, often by indirect methods.
If you undermine someone's efforts or undermine their chances of achieving something, you behave in a way that makes them less likely to succeed.