undercut

[ verb uhn-der-kuht, uhn-der-kuht; noun adjective uhn-der-kuht ]

verb (used with object)

, un·der·cut, un·der·cut·ting.

1. to cut under or beneath.
2. to cut away material from so as to leave a portion overhanging, as in carving or sculpture.
3. to offer goods or services at a lower price or rate than (a competing price or rate) or than that of (a competitor).
4. to weaken or destroy the impact or effectiveness of; undermine.
5. Golf. to hit (the ball) so as to cause a backspin.
6. Tennis. to slice (the ball) using an underhand motion.
7. to cut (a sound recording) with grooves too shallow or with insufficient lateral motion of the stylus.
8. Forestry. to cut a notch in (a tree) in order to control the direction in which the tree is to fall.

verb (used without object)

, un·der·cut, un·der·cut·ting.

1. to undercut material, a competitor, a ball, etc.

noun

1. a cut or a cutting away underneath.
2. a notch cut in a tree to determine the direction in which the tree is to fall and to prevent splitting.
3. a haircut for men or women in which one or both sides and often the back are shaved or cut very short, leaving longer hair at the top of the head:

   an undercut with a side part.

4. Golf. a backspin.
5. Tennis. a slice or cut made with an underhand motion.
6. Chiefly British. a tenderloin of beef including the fillet.
7. Dentistry. a tooth cavity prepared with a wide base for anchoring a filling securely.

adjective

1. having or resulting from an undercut.

undercut

verb

1. to charge less than (a competitor) in order to obtain trade
2. to cut away the under part of (something)
3. sport to hit (a ball) in such a way as to impart backspin

noun

1. the act or an instance of cutting underneath
2. a part that is cut away underneath
3. a tenderloin of beef, including the fillet
4. forestry a notch cut in a tree trunk, to ensure a clean break in felling
5. sport a stroke that imparts backspin to the ball

Word History and Origins

Origin of undercut¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English undercutten “to cut down”; under-, cut

Example Sentences

Republicans made a compelling argument when they said Cunningham single-handedly managed to undercut his central premise as a candidate about honor and duty as a veteran and family man.

From Washington Post

This episode undercuts everything that came before that made Rory’s season six journey interesting.

From Vox

Meanwhile, workers are facing new threats to their livelihood from technology and automation, and a Supreme Court that has undercut the financial clout of organized labor.

From Fortune

The bank agreed to pay $550 million, but it and other global lenders in the accord felt little lasting hit from markets or customers, undercutting investor fears that a guilty plea would devastate their business.

From Fortune

When Sam Walton founded Walmart in 1962, he used a combination of low prices, tight margins, and scale to undercut the competition and grow it into the No.

From Fortune

The death toll, which experts believe has been significantly undercut by secret burials, stands at 7,905.

From The Daily Beast

Plus, he already had the super trendy “undercut” hairstyle popular with the fashion forward men of today.

From The Daily Beast

Obama made clear where he stood when he quickly undercut his $120 billion investment by announcing a drawdown.

From The Daily Beast

Satellite television outfits like DirectTV have undercut cable on price and signed up millions of customers.

From The Daily Beast

Particularly once people start dying, you have to figure out how to make the humor not undercut the emotion of the piece.

From The Daily Beast

The Master was represented seated on a lotus the petals of which were so deeply undercut as to show almost detached.

From Project Gutenberg

We have already concluded that a roundabout route must be allowed to meet, though not to undercut, the ruling rate.

From Project Gutenberg

Fig. 216 is a scarfed joint with undercut vee'd ends which prevent the joint from lipping up or down or sideways.

From Project Gutenberg

The model calls for very accurate workmanship and the joints must not be undercut during the sawing and chiselling operations.

From Project Gutenberg

But it was a preposterously difficult task to get across an undercut to where he could grasp a stunted tree.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• destabilize
• diminish
• lessen
• thwart
• undermine