undercroft

American  

[uhn-der-krawft, -kroft] / ˈʌn dərˌkrɔft, -ˌkrɒft /

noun

1. a vault or chamber under the ground, especially in a church.

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undercroft British  

/ ˈʌndəˌkrɒft /

noun

1. an underground chamber, such as a church crypt, often with a vaulted ceiling

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Etymology

Origin of undercroft

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at under, croft ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

undercroft

Accessible via a small door to the right of the building’s famous front steps, the new attraction encompasses only a third of the existing undercroft, suspended within the larger surrounding space.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

The new Lincoln Memorial undercroft is more than a tribute to an engineering marvel; it is a reminder that even iconic monuments must evolve over time, none as meaningfully as this one has.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

I had a CVS employee show me how to use a price scanner, and a church employee tell me what an undercroft is.

From New York Times ● Jan. 7, 2018

John Pobuda, a 58-year-old former US army private from Minnesota, is one resident of the undercroft below the deck of Interstate 80, who manages to scratch a living from what Airbnb throws in the trash.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 21, 2017

One, which is generally called a lantern, was till lately hung in the undercroft.

From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Wells A Description of Its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See by Percy Dearmer

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