/ˈʌndə/, [ˈɐn.də(ɹ)], /ˈʌndɚ/
OriginFrom Middle English under, from Old English under, from Proto-West Germanic *undar, from Proto-Germanic *under, from a merger of Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér (“under”) and *h₁entér (“inside”).
Akin to German unter, Dutch onder, Danish and Norwegian under; also Old High German untar (“under”), Sanskrit अन्तर् (antar, “within”), Latin infrā (“below, beneath”) and inter (“between, among”).
- Beneath; below; at or to the bottom of, or the area covered or surmounted by.
“We found some shade under a tree.”
“Quick, stuff the cash under the mattress!”
“There is nothing new under the sun.”
- Below the surface of.
“Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants!”
- From one side of to the other, passing beneath.
“I crawled under the fence.”
“There is a tunnel under the English Channel.”
- Less than.
“Interest rates are now under 1%.”
“We can get there in under an hour.”
- Subject to.
“We were constantly under bombardment.”
“I can't live under these circumstances.”
“The matter is under investigation.”
- Subordinate to; subject to the control of; in accordance with; in compliance with.
“He served in World War II under General Omar Bradley.”
“During the pandemic, we had to live under severe restrictions.”
“Under the law and concession agreement with other parties, the private company must pay taxes in time and on a right amount.”
- Within the category, classification or heading of.
“File this under "i" for "ignore".”
- figurativelyIn the face of; in response to (some attacking force).
“England's World Cup dreams fell apart under a French onslaught on a night when their shortcomings were brutally exposed at the quarter-final stage.”
“to collapse under stress; to give in under interrogation”
- Using or adopting (a name, identity, etc.).
“J.K. Rowling has written a crime novel called 'The Cuckoo's Calling' under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.”
“He writes books under the name John Smith.”
“She now lives under a new identity.”
- not-comparableIn or to a lower or subordinate position, or a position beneath or below something, physically or figuratively.
“pulled under by the currents”
“weighed under by worry”
“The minstrel fell, but the foeman's chain / Could not bring his proud soul under.”
- not-comparableSo as to pass beneath something.
“There's quite a gap, so you may be able to sneak under.”
- in-compounds, not-comparable, usuallyLess than what is necessary to be adequate or suitable; insufficient.
“The plants were underwatered.”
“Women are under-represented.”
- informal, not-comparableIn or into an unconscious state.
“It took the hypnotist several minutes to make his subject go under.”
- not-comparableDown to defeat, ruin, or death.
“The COVID-19 epidemic and shutdown took some businesses under.”
“Big-box store and online retailing have driven many specialty and local retail stores under.”
- Lower; beneath something.
“This treatment protects the under portion of the car from rust.”
“(in compounds) underbelly, underside, undershirt, undersecretary”
“The advantages he gains are of double security to him ; first, by the support of his haunches, being at all times more under than before, he learns to be more active with his hind-quarters”
- In a state of subordination, submission or defeat.
“The army could not keep the people under.”
“I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection.”
“When ready for sea we went up to Greenhithe, that their lordships might inspect us, and then to Portsmouth, to take troops to Cork, a pleasant trip; but the troops left us a legacy of "mahogany flats,”
- colloquialUnder anesthesia, especially general anesthesia; sedated.
“Ensure the patient is sufficiently under.”
- informalHaving a particular property that is low, especially so as to be insufficient or lacking in a particular respect.
“This chicken is a bit under. (insufficiently cooked)”
“This bag of apples feels under. (of insufficient weight)”
“My pay packet last week was £10 under. (of insufficient monetary amount)”
- The amount by which an actual total is less than the expected or required amount.
“[…] standard cash count forms used to record the count and any overs or unders.”
- informalSomething having a particular property that is low or too low.
“I went fishing but caught nothing but unders.”
“Usually I am at least ten over on that course, but I have shot a couple of unders.”
- A bet that a particular sporting statistic, such as points scored in a game, will be below a certain stated value.
Formsmore under(comparative) · most under(superlative) · unders(plural)