underage

¹ American  

[uhn-der-eyj] / ˌʌn dərˈeɪdʒ /

adjective

1. lacking the required age, especially that of legal maturity.

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underage ² American  

[uhn-der-ij] / ˈʌn dər ɪdʒ /

noun

1. shortage; deficiency in amount.

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underage British  

/ ˌʌndərˈeɪdʒ /

adjective

1. below the required or standard age, esp below the legal age for voting or drinking

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Etymology

Origin of underage¹

First recorded in 1585–95; under- + age

Origin of underage²

First recorded in 1605–15; under- + -age

Example Sentences

Zuckerberg testified last week that he regretted Meta's slow progress in identifying underage users on Instagram, as the plaintiff's legal team sharply criticized the company for deliberately targeting children.

From Barron's

Sworn Testimony: Mark Zuckerberg faced pointed questions about his company’s underage users and content moderation efforts at a landmark Los Angeles trial Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal

Australia recently became the first country in the world to ban most social media platforms for children under 16, making it mandatory for platforms to verify users' ages and disable accounts by underage users.

From BBC

“I asked at least five times if I could let my guardian know what was happening, because I was underage, but they never let me,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

In a statement on Monday, issued before the move by QUB, a spokesperson for Mitchell said he never met, spoken to or had any contact with Giuffre or any underage women.

From BBC

Related Words

• adolescent