underhand
Americanadjective
-
executed with the hand below the level of the shoulder and the palm turned upward and forward.
an underhand delivery of a ball.
-
an underhand deal with the chief of police.
- Synonyms:
- surreptitious, clandestine, sly, stealthy
adverb
-
with the hand below the level of the shoulder and the palm turned upward and forward.
to bowl underhand.
-
secretly; stealthily; slyly.
adjective
-
clandestine, deceptive, or secretive
-
sport another word for underarm
adverb
Etymology
Origin of underhand
First recorded before 900; 1530–40 underhand for def. 2; Middle English adverb under honde “in one's possession, in one's charge, secretly,” Old English under hand, under hond(e) “in one's possession, in one's subjection, in one's power”; see origin at under-, hand
Vocabulary lists containing underhand
Physical Education - Introductory
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Physical Education - Middle School and High School
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: under-
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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.
What you may not underhand is how the same spirit of pseudo-news came to infect mainstream journalism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
"It is unacceptable that the government has decided to turn its back on them in such an underhand way, and we must continue to advocate for them," she added.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2025
Right now, there is: Intrigue, plotting, phone calls, quiet chats, guesswork and claims of underhand tactics.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2024
Donovan Mitchell threw a 50-foot inbounds pass underhand, Bam Adebayo inbounded a ball off Nikola Jokic’s backside before dribbling downcourt and making a 3, and Devin Booker went through pregame with a hat on backwards.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2024
There was no need for the Father Abbot to concern himself with the underhand dealings of traitor foxes.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
