undercount

American  

[uhn-der-kount, uhn-der-kount] / ˌʌn dərˈkaʊnt, ˈʌn dərˌkaʊnt /

verb (used with object)

1. to count less than the full number or amount of.

   The mayor claimed the census had undercounted the city's population.

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noun

1. a count or total that is less than the actual number or amount.

Etymology

Origin of undercount

First recorded in 1950–55; under- + count ¹

Example Sentences

"These incidents include only those that HRL corroborated through either remote sensing, open source documentation, or a combination of both methods and are likely an undercount," its report said.

From BBC • Oct. 15, 2025

The land of a thousand hills, Rwanda’s called—an egregious undercount.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Griffin, who investigates suspected wolf kills in the region for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, acknowledged that the 80 or so kills attributed to the Whaleback pack is an undercount.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2025

The estimated number of excess deaths and illnesses from the EPA’s actions are likely an undercount due to long-term outcomes, such as cancer, that are harder to quantify, Symons said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2025

Do the figures that get into the "all other" deposits from those connected with the Stock Exchange undercount sales made there?

From The Value of Money by Anderson, Benjamin M.