under-

a prefixal use of under, as to indicate place or situation below or beneath (underbrush; undertow); lower in grade or dignity (undersheriff; understudy); of lesser degree, extent, or amount (undersized); or insufficiency (underfeed).

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of under-

Middle English; Old English

Words nearby under-

under the table, under the weather, under the wire, under way, under wraps, under-, under-the-counter, under-the-table, underachieve, underachiever, underact

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for under-

under-

prefix

below or beneathunderarm; underground

of lesser importance or lower rankundersecretary

to a lesser degree than is proper; insufficient or insufficientlyundercharge; underemployed

indicating secrecy or deceptionunderhand

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