undergo
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Usage
What is another way to say undergo? To undergo something is to be subjected to or to endure that thing. How does undergo differ from experience? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
undergosimple
-
undergoessimple
-
have undergoneperfect
-
has undergoneperfect
-
am undergoingprogressive
-
are undergoingprogressive
-
is undergoingprogressive
-
have been undergoingperfect progressive
-
has been undergoingperfect progressive
Past
-
underwentsimple
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had undergoneperfect
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was undergoingprogressive
-
were undergoingprogressive
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had been undergoingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of undergo
First recorded before 1000; Middle English undergon, Old English undergān. See under-, go 1
Explanation
Undergo means "endure until something is complete." You might undergo testing to check your hearing or undergo special training if you want to volunteer at a homeless shelter. The verb undergo means "experience" or "undertake." It is often used to describe medical procedures, such as, an injured quarterback who will undergo shoulder surgery. The word implies that it is something that has to happen so that a positive change occurs, like healing in the case of the quarterback or greater communication skills for a hot-tempered person who undergoes anger management training.
Vocabulary lists containing undergo
Word Generation Weekly - Series 3
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The Red Umbrella
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“On Civil Disobedience” by Mohandas K. Gandhi
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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:
The dogs will undergo health evaluations, officials said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Previous research from the team found that HGF can undergo a chemical modification known as nitration.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
Before joining the platforms, workers undergo background checks, including police verification.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
On Monday, Rogers returned from the United States, having featured for England at the World Cup, to undergo a medical in London and sign a six-year contract with an option for a further year.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
He offered to undergo DNA testing if I wished.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
In a conversation with host Brian Freeman, the 44-year-old Grammy-nominated artist said she was diagnosed earlier this year and is “grateful to God” for her health as she undergoes treatment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
But every spring and summer, it undergoes a remarkable transformation, with large areas turning a vivid turquoise.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
Surgeons say that aortic dissections are sometimes identified by accident when a patient undergoes a CT scan or X-ray for routine reasons or other conditions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
But from Monday, activity will stop, as the extraordinary device undergoes upgrades aimed to further increase the precision and intensity of particle collisions.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Grain by grain, molecule by molecule, carbohydrate fuel in the form of glucose is fed into this wheel; in its cyclic passage the fuel molecule undergoes fragmentation and a series of minute chemical changes.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Simon revealed that in the same period, she underwent surgery to treat skin cancer, specifically basal cell carcinoma on her face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The company, which lost market share to rivals like Apple Pay, underwent rounds of layoffs to cut costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
She underwent 18 months of treatment at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The papyrus underwent detailed study during a second research campaign held in January and February 2026.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
Some of the prisoners underwent the examination in groups of twelve; they merely recited a sort of confessional and catechism, got their anti-kemmer shot, and were released to work.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Cycling, like other endurance sports, has undergone a revolution in carb-taking, a trend that also goosed mind-bending breakthroughs like the recent sub 2-hour marathons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Such substances have not undergone the kind of large-scale trials the FDA would normally require to establish safety and efficacy.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Since Jordan Spieth's victory in 2017, Birkdale has undergone a renovation, with the changes including redesigns on the fifth, seventh, 14th and 15th holes.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Records indicate that the four-bedroom beach house was swiped off the market in June, having undergone a $550,000 price cut the previous month.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Although we know that the chemicals have almost certainly undergone change during the long period of transit, we do not know whether the altered chemical is more toxic than the original or less.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
"He has been suspended, and the three people injured in the incident are undergoing treatment," police superintendent Puran Kumar Jha told AFP on Monday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The way Americans perceive socialism is apparently undergoing such a transition.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
The third body is still undergoing DNA testing to determine identity, according to the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Aberdeen is an area Burnham has identified as undergoing an "industrial transition" that he believes could be managed better if more power was transferred to the local area.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Many of those who fled were reportedly undergoing guerilla training in neighbouring black states under the aegis of Umkhonto We Sizwe.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
