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undershoot

American  
[uhn-der-shoot, uhn-der-shoot] / ˌʌn dərˈʃut, ˈʌn dərˌʃut /

verb (used with object)

  • undershoots,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • undershot,
    past participle,  past
  • undershooting
    present participle
  1. to shoot or launch a projectile that strikes under or short of (a target).

  2. Aeronautics. (of an aircraft or pilot) to land before reaching (a landing strip) because of a too rapid loss of altitude.


verb (used without object)

  • undershoots,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • undershot,
    past participle,  past
  • undershooting
    present participle
  1. to shoot or launch a projectile so as to strike under or short of a target.

undershoot British  
/ ˌʌndəˈʃuːt /

verb

  1. (of a pilot) to cause (an aircraft) to land short of (a runway) or (of an aircraft) to land in this way

  2. to shoot a projectile so that it falls short of (a target)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future


Etymology

Origin of undershoot

First recorded in 1655–65; under- + shoot 1


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:

But actual production is likely to undershoot because of the “lack of actual production capabilities,” according to a note from RBC Capital Markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026

“The risk in 2026 has always been skewed to further easing given the expected undershoot of the inflation target,” Deutsche Bank’s Chief European Economist Mark Wall said in a recent research note.

From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026

A runway safety area refers to an area adjacent to, or at the end of a runway, meant to limit damage to aircraft should they overshoot, undershoot or veer off the runway.

From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2025

"I would be happy to start cutting the rates when the inflation projection - so the outlook and not actual data - starts to undershoot our 2% target in a consistent manner," he said.

From Reuters ● Aug. 26, 2023

One sad feature of life is that we always undershoot the mark, and for the most part perfection in purpose results in nothing better than mediocrity in achievement.

From With God in the World A Series of Papers by Charles H. Brent

After a series of undershoots in the years following the 2008-09 financial crisis, policy would seek to exceed the 2% target—which it did readily.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

If a team undershoots its targets, it falls back quickly.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2024

These dynamics could intensify later this week if U.S. inflation data for June undershoots analysts' already soft expectations.

From Reuters ● Jul. 10, 2023

The snippet we see of their idiotic vanity project, “The Striking Viking,” aims so low it undershoots satire by a mile.

From New York Times ● Jul. 5, 2018

Since regular jet flights started two years ago, no U.S. commercial jet has cracked up seriously on landing, but there have been perilously close undershoots and overshoots because of pilot misjudgment.

From Time Magazine Archive

Hill said Nike had "more work to do" on its sportswear, Jordan brand and in China as the company announced quarterly revenues of $11bn, which undershot analysts' expectations.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

In January, forecasters’ consensus vastly undershot the net gain of 130,000 jobs that the Labor Department initially reported.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026

Global silver supplies undershot demand for a fifth year in a row in 2025, according to the Silver Institute.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 10, 2025

Economic growth slowed to a more than four-year low in the third quarter, while inflation undershot the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’s 2025 inflation target of 2% to 4% for a ninth straight month in November.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

Lieutenant Xiomara Rojas has an undershot jaw, and her jumble of yellowish teeth is visible when she shouts.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

The corporate centre did much of the heavy lifting relative to consensus, with results at its personal finance, banking and Arval units undershooting expectations, analysts write.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

But spending appeared to lose steam, undershooting expectations of economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal who instead expected growth of 0.4 percent.

From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026

Kroenke always told his development team that undershooting L.A. would be a huge mistake, that the opportunity here was immeasurable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025

Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist at Capital Economics, said "Christmas has come early" for Chancellor Rachel Reeves due to borrowing "undershooting" expectations.

From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2024

Employers added 175,000 positions in April, the Labor Department reported Friday, undershooting forecasts.

From New York Times ● May 3, 2024

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