underground

[uhn-der-ground, uhn-der-ground]

adverb

1. beneath the surface of the ground: ground.

   traveling underground by subway.

2. in concealment or secrecy; not openly.

   subversion carried on underground.

adjective

1. existing, situated, operating, or taking place beneath the surface of the ground. ground.

2. used, or for use, underground.

3. hidden or secret; not open.

   underground political activities.

4. published or produced by political or social radicals or nonconformists.

   an underground newspaper.

5. avant-garde; experimental.

   an underground movie.

6. critical of or attacking the established society or system.

   underground opinion.

7. of or for nonconformists; unusual.

   an underground vegetarian restaurant.

noun

1. the place or region beneath the surface of the ground. ground.

2. an underground space or passage.

3. a secret organization fighting the established government or occupation forces.

   He fought in the French underground during the Nazi occupation of France.

4. (often initial capital letter),  a movement or group existing outside the establishment and usually reflecting unorthodox, avant-garde, or radical views.

5. Chiefly British.,  a subway system.

verb (used with object)

1. to place beneath the surface of the ground: ground.

   to underground utility lines.

underground

adjective

1. occurring, situated, or used below ground level

   an underground tunnel

   an underground explosion

2. secret; hidden

   underground activities

adverb

1. going below ground level

   the tunnel led underground

2. into hiding or secrecy

   the group was driven underground

noun

1. a space or region below ground level

2. 1. a movement dedicated to overthrowing a government or occupation forces, as in the European countries occupied by the German army in World War II

   2. ( as modifier )

      an underground group

3. US and Canadian equivalent: subway. an electric passenger railway operated in underground tunnels

4. (usually preceded by the)

   1. any avant-garde, experimental, or subversive movement in popular art, films, music, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      the underground press

      underground music

Word History and Origins

Origin of underground¹

First recorded in 1565–75; under- + ground ¹

Example Sentences

For the uninitiated, “Cabaret” begins with a marionette-like male character named the Emcee, the omnipresent master of ceremonies of an underground Kit Kat Club in 1931 Berlin, smiling into a warped mirror.

From Salon

But this band isn’t just a cult fascination for the underground anymore.

From Los Angeles Times

He added BBC Panorama's documentary showed that progress had been made as officers who held such views were "going underground", and the Met would continue to "go after them and remove them".

From BBC

We are also now probing deeper into the corrupt networks and cliques that our actions have driven underground.

From BBC

The time was approaching 2 a.m. and there was only one place left to see: the punishment cells underground, where I would finish out the night.

From Salon

Related Words

• clandestine 
• experimental 
• hidden 
• private