undercover

[ uhn-der-kuhv-er, uhn-der-kuhv- ]

/ ˌʌn dərˈkʌv ər, ˈʌn dərˌkʌv- /

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See synonyms for undercover on Thesaurus.com

adjective

working or done out of public sight; secret: an undercover investigation.

engaged in spying or securing confidential information: an undercover agent.

OTHER WORDS FOR undercover

1 concealed, covert, clandestine, hidden.

See synonyms for undercover on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of undercover

First recorded in 1850–55; under- + cover

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use undercover in a sentence

“The institution of marraige [sic] is under attack in our society and it needs to be strengthened,” Bush wrote.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They took cover inside a print works to the north east of Paris, where they held a member of staff as a hostage.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is grandstanding for a right rarely protected unless under immediate attack.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Clad in a blue, striped button-down, a silver watch adorning his left wrist, Huckabee beams on the cover.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

“Price for adults to $4250; From 10 years to 14 years to $2125; Under 10 years free,” the listing says.
Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Under the one-sixth they appear as slender, highly refractive fibers with double contour and, often, curled or split ends.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The Pontellier and Ratignolle compartments adjoined one another under the same roof.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The Majesty on high has a colony and a people on earth, which otherwise is under the supremacy of the Evil One.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
Poor Squinty ran and tried to hide under the straw, for he knew the boy was talking about him.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
For several months he remained under a political cloud, charged with incompetency to quell the Philippine Rebellion.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for undercover

undercover

/ (ˌʌndəˈkʌvə) /

adjective

done or acting in secretundercover operations

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 Idioms and Phrases with undercover

under cover

Protected by a shelter, as in It began to pour but fortunately we were under cover. [c. 1400]

under cover of. Also, under the cover of. Hidden or protected by, as in They sneaked out under cover of darkness, or, as it was put in a sermon in 1751: “Presumption which loves to conceal itself under the cover of humility” (John Jortin, Sermons on Different Subjects).

undercover

OTHER WORDS FOR undercover

Origin of undercover

Words related to undercover

How to use undercover in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for undercover

Other Idioms and Phrases with undercover