{
    "term": "undermine",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "undermine",
            "heSheIt": "undermines"
        },
        "pastSimple": "undermined",
        "pastParticiple": "undermined",
        "ingForm": "undermining"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to make something, especially somebody’s confidence or authority, gradually weaker or less effective",
            "sensetop": "undermine something/somebody",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Our confidence in the team has been seriously undermined by their recent defeats."
                },
                {
                    "text": "This crisis has undermined his position."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Recent changes have undermined teachers’ morale."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The director saw this move as an attempt to undermine his authority."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's all a plot to undermine me."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["greatly", "radically", "seriously"],
                "verb + undermine": ["threaten to", "attempt to", "seek to"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to make something weaker at the base, for example by digging under it",
            "sensetop": "undermine something",
            "examples": []
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndəˈmaɪn/",
                "audio": "un/undermine/undermine__gb_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndəˈmaɪnz/",
                "audio": "un/undermine/undermines__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndəˈmaɪnd/",
                "audio": "un/undermine/undermined__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndəˈmaɪnɪŋ/",
                "audio": "un/undermine/undermining__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndərˈmaɪn/",
                "audio": "un/undermine/undermine__us_1_rr.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndərˈmaɪnz/",
                "audio": "un/undermine/undermines__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndərˈmaɪnd/",
                "audio": "un/undermine/undermined__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndərˈmaɪnɪŋ/",
                "audio": "un/undermine/undermining__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English: from under- + the verb mine, probably suggested by Middle Dutch ondermineren."
}