(under-the-table when prenominal) done illicitly and secretly
slang drunk
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
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
The revelations caused a huge scandal and inspired mammoth state probes into the scale of under-the-table lobbying in Irish politics.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2023
They joined his wife’s family in Fremont, Calif., where Carrillo, who has a tourist visa but not a work permit, washed dishes at a restaurant for under-the-table pay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 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 Wolfe, Elsie de
She coped by dabbing at her face with a small navy blue towel that magically appeared from under the table.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
It’s a better and more transparent system than, say, local car dealers offering athletes tricked-out pickup trucks under the table.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
Reliable economic figures are hard to come by and a large portion of incomes are earned under the table in the informal sector.
From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2025
And it has not gone unnoticed that this upturn has coincided with Mekies getting his feet under the table.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2025
Ray slips out from under the table just in time to stand next to his friend.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
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.
