under-the-table
adjective
transacted in secret or in an underhanded manner.
Jump To:
-
under-the-table
-
under the table
under the tableadjective(under-the-table when prenominal) done illicitly and secretly
under-the-table
American
[uhn-der-thuh-tay-buhl]
/ ˈʌn dər ðəˈteɪ bəl /
adjective
under the table
British
adjective
-
(under-the-table when prenominal) done illicitly and secretly
-
slang drunk
under the table
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of under-the-table
First recorded in 1945–50
Explanation
Anything that happens under-the-table is taking place secretly, like under-the-table payments that are illegal. The things on a table are easily seen, but it's not as easy to see what's happening under the table. That can help you remember that under-the-table activities are secret, covert, confidential, and sometimes illegal. If two businesses have an under-the-table agreement, no one else knows about it. If a company pays someone under-the-table, the money is not documented and therefore won't be taxed. Just about everything spies do happens under-the-table.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
We were not asking for a discount or proposing any kind of under-the-table deal.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
North Korea’s pre-Covid economy had increasingly centered on black markets selling goods smuggled from China or under-the-table local goods—and with it the rise of a “donju” merchant class who made their wealth outside state control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
The women were later detained by South Korean immigration authorities in the port city of Busan, where they had found under-the-table jobs as cleaners, before being deported last week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2024
Pilot’s former CEO also extended the offer of under-the-table payments to at least 10 other executives in April, according to Berkshire’s filing.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
They were not more than four or five inches thick, but that is the ideal height for an under-the-table cushion.
From The House in Good Taste by Elsie de Wolfe
"I just ducked under the table and I was like 'I'm not going to risk this,'" she told AFP.
From Barron's ● Apr. 26, 2026
“Then he checked his phone right there under the table, and said, ‘Oh, thank God, I am.’”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Green Bay's defence could be scarily good once Parsons really gets his feet under the table.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2025
The two hold hands under the table while answering questions from family about why they’ve not yet found wives to wed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2025
As the group shifted the conversation to the logistics of getting the invitations out as quickly and efficiently as possible, Moss reached under the table again to grasp Javier’s hand.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
