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underdo

American  
[uhn-der-doo] / ˌʌn dərˈdu /

verb (used with or without object)

underdid, underdone, underdoing
  1. to do less or in a lesser fashion than is usual or requisite.


Etymology

Origin of underdo

First recorded in 1605–15; under- + do 1


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

I hope I don’t overdo it or underdo it,’” Mirren says, speaking alongside McKellen at the Corinthia Hotel in London.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2019

We don’t want her to underdo her job.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 25, 2015

“All authentication in the end is about being risk-based. You don’t want to overdo security because that can create user burdens, but you don’t want to underdo it because that creates risk.”

From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2015

Sometimes the local people overdo the publicity, and sometimes they underdo it.

From Time Magazine Archive

A young fellow should be ambitious to shine in everything; and, of the two, rather overdo than underdo.

From A Letter Book Selected with an Introduction on the History and Art of Letter-Writing by George Saintsbury

“We underdid it in the great financial crisis, so we overdid it here,” said Patrick Harker, who was president of the Philadelphia Fed for a decade before stepping down last June.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Certainly if there were any fault in Mr Codlin's usual deportment, it was that he rather underdid his kindness to those about him, than overdid it.

From The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens

Testing of memory and cognitive skills are not usually part of routine physicals like the one Biden is underdoing.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2024

Powell, as well, said that even though "the risks of sort of overdoing it and underdoing it are getting closer to being balanced," the focus remains on inflation.

From Reuters ● Jun. 16, 2023

Flanker Jamie Ritchie is out for the tournament after underdoing surgery on the hamstring injury suffered in last weekend's opening win over England.

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2022

“The historical record is thick with examples of underdoing it,” Mr. Powell said, noting that economic policymakers tend to underestimate economic damage and under-support recoveries.

From New York Times ● Sep. 29, 2021

Don't overdo it or you'll look like a swashbuckler, and that'll be worse than underdoing it.

From The Pothunters by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse

“In the end, Redfall feels unpolished, underdone, underwhelming, and uncomfortable.”

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 1, 2023

“You may be a bit of undigested beef,” Charles Dickens wrote, presumably sometime in late October or early November of 1843, “a spot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato.”

From Washington Post ● Dec. 8, 2022

Culturally different, but geographically close, the two countries have collaborated on border security and counter-terrorism, and share a nervousness about the rise of China, but the commercial relationship has been underdone.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2022

Pour the batter into your skillet, and bake for about 25 to 28 minutes, or until the edges look dry and the center is still a little underdone.

From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2022

The rabbit was a shade underdone, but tasted wonderful.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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