underpay

[ uhn-der-pey ]

verb (used with object),un·der·paid, un·der·pay·ing.

to pay less than is deserved or usual.

Origin of underpay

First recorded in 1840–50; under- + pay¹

Other words from underpay

un·der·pay·ment [uhn-der-pey-muhnt, uhn-der-pey-], /ˌʌn dərˈpeɪ mənt, ˈʌn dərˌpeɪ-/, noun

Words Nearby underpay

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use underpay in a sentence

As always, the onus is on consumers to express dissatisfaction with companies that underpay workers, destroy the planet, and otherwise act badly until they have no choice but to respond.
Say Goodbye to Planet-Destroying Happy Meal Toys | Elazar Sontag | September 22, 2021 | Eater
Stronger governmental oversight is especially necessary during a recession, when the rate at which employers underpay their minimum-wage workers skyrockets, according to research Fine oversaw this year.
What low-wage workers need from the 2020 election | Maria Aspan | September 30, 2020 | Fortune
If you underpay the government, on the other hand, they charge you not only interest, but also penalties.
Happy Tax Day. Now Stop Making Interest-Free Loans to the U.S. Government. | Megan McArdle | April 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Steve Jobs and now Tim Cook did not conspire to undermine American labor and underpay Chinese workers.
Latest Record Results Show Apple a Bigger Global Power Than Most Nations | Zachary Karabell | April 25, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Full of fine words and charitable speeches in favor of the poor; but apt to oppress, overwork, and underpay them.
The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain and Other Tales | Hannah More

We snub them and underpay them, we refuse them the rank due to them, and lead them a generally happy life!
Punch Among the Planets | Various
It's bad business to overwork and underpay your hands into a state of chronic insurrection.
Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as the Butterfly Man | Marie Conway Oemler
They may be forced by the competitive system, as many contend, to underpay their workmen.
Consumers and Wage-Earners | J. Elliot Ross
The latter may underpay his servants, keep them at work all day, or take every advantage of them in every possible way.
Here and There in London | J. Ewing Ritchie

British Dictionary definitions for underpay

underpay

/ (ˌʌndəˈpeɪ) /

verb-pays, -paying or -paid

to pay (someone) insufficiently

Derived forms of underpay

underpayment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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