undercover

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

adjective

1. working or done out of public sight; secret.

   an undercover investigation.

   Synonyms: hidden, clandestine, covert

2. engaged in spying or securing confidential information.

   an undercover agent.

undercover

/ ˌʌndəˈkʌvə /

adjective

1. done or acting in secret

   undercover operations

Word History and Origins

Origin of undercover¹

First recorded in 1850–55; under- + cover

Example Sentences

The programme then sent in an undercover reporter, posing as a potential customer who wanted to buy a home on the park.

Read more on BBC

The House of Lords' standards watchdog launched separate investigations into the two men following an undercover operation by the Guardian newspaper.

Read more on BBC

Jo said the recent BBC Panorama undercover investigation into Met Police showed a culture in which Carrick would have "fitted in like a glove", and that she is alarmed by that.

Read more on BBC

Norman says that he even had to buy his own ticket to attend the 2024 Masters, where Augusta National Golf Club had him tailed by an undercover official taking notes on his behavior.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The 76-year-old actor leads a cast of septuagenarian stars as a retired professor who takes on a job going undercover at a retirement community.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• covert