underling
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of underling
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.
Under the cover of darkness, an underling used satellite imagery to pick his way through vineyards near the prison before tossing a pillowcase over the walls.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2025
On Tuesday, he held a press conference to announce relatively minor news that could have been delivered by an underling: He intended to move U.S.
From Salon • Sep. 4, 2025
What kind of terrible employer has an underling borrow against his own home to cover up his boss’s sordid lies and extra-marital affairs?
From Slate • Jun. 3, 2024
"The defence has sought to portray Cohen as a spurned underling who was obsessed with Trump and would stop at nothing to exact revenge," Ms Roiphe said.
From BBC • May 15, 2024
MI6 didn’t think Le Fantôme would trust an underling to judge whether they were forgeries.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
![]()
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.