2 VERB If you underline something such as a word or a sentence, you draw a line underneath it in order to make people notice it or to give it extra importance. □ [V n] Take two coloured pens and underline the positive and negative words.
under|ling /ʌ ndə r l I ŋ/ (underlings ) N‑COUNT You refer to someone as an underling when they are inferior in rank or status to someone else and take orders from them. You use this word to show that you do not respect someone. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …underlings who do the dirty work.
under|ly|ing /ʌ ndə r la I I ŋ/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] The underlying features of an object, event, or situation are not obvious, and it may be difficult to discover or reveal them. □ To stop a problem you have to understand its underlying causes. □ I think that the underlying problem is education, unemployment and bad housing.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] You describe something as underlying when it is below the surface of something else. □ …hills with the hard underlying rock poking through the turf.
3 → see also underlie
under|manned /ʌ ndə r mæ nd/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If an organization is undermanned , it does not have enough employees to function properly. □ In some stores we were undermanned and customer service was suffering.
under|mine ◆◇◇ /ʌ ndə r ma I n/ (undermines , undermining , undermined )
1 VERB If you undermine something such as a feeling or a system, you make it less strong or less secure than it was before, often by a gradual process or by repeated efforts. □ [V n] Offering advice on each and every problem will undermine her feeling of being adult. □ [V n] Western intelligence agencies are accused of trying to undermine the government.
2 VERB If you undermine someone or undermine their position or authority, you make their authority or position less secure, often by indirect methods. □ [V n] She undermined him and destroyed his confidence in his own talent. □ [V n] The conversations were designed to undermine her authority.
3 VERB If you undermine someone's efforts or undermine their chances of achieving something, you behave in a way that makes them less likely to succeed. □ [V n] The continued fighting threatens to undermine efforts to negotiate an agreement.
under|neath /ʌ ndə r niː θ/
1 PREP If one thing is underneath another, it is directly under it, and may be covered or hidden by it. □ The device exploded underneath a van. □ …using dogs to locate people trapped underneath collapsed buildings. □ …a table for two underneath the olive trees. □ Her apartment was underneath a bar, called 'The Lift'. ● ADV [n ADV , ADV after v, be ADV , from ADV ] Underneath is also an adverb. □ He has on a denim shirt with a T-shirt underneath. □ …if we could maybe pull back a bit of this carpet to see what's underneath.
2 ADV [ADV after v] The part of something which is underneath is the part which normally touches the ground or faces towards the ground. □ Check the actual construction of the chair by looking underneath. □ His bare feet were smooth on top and rough-skinned underneath. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Underneath is also an adjective. □ Some objects had got entangled with the underneath mechanism of the engine. ● N‑SING Underneath is also a noun. □ [+ of ] Now I know what the underneath of a car looks like.
3 ADV You use underneath when talking about feelings and emotions that people do not show in their behaviour. □ He was as violent as Nick underneath. ● PREP Underneath is also a preposition. □ Underneath his outgoing behaviour Luke was shy.
under|nour|ished /ʌ ndə r nʌ r I ʃt, [AM ] -nɜː r-/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If someone is undernourished , they are weak and unhealthy because they have not been eating enough food or the right kind of food. □ …undernourished children.
under|nour|ish|ment /ʌ ndə r nʌ r I ʃmənt, [AM ] -nɜː r-/ N‑UNCOUNT If someone is suffering from undernourishment , they have poor health because they have not been eating enough food or are eating the wrong kind of food.
under|paid /ʌ ndə r pe I d/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] People who are underpaid are not paid enough money for the job that they do. □ Women are frequently underpaid for the work that they do. □ …underpaid factory workers.
under|pants /ʌ ndə r pænts/ N‑PLURAL [oft a pair of N ] Underpants are a piece of underwear which have two holes to put your legs through and elastic around the top to hold them up round your waist or hips. In British English, underpants refers to only men's underwear, but in American English it refers to both men's and women's.
under|pass /ʌ ndə r pɑːs, -pæs/ (underpasses ) N‑COUNT An underpass is a road or path that goes underneath a railway or another road. □ The Hanger Lane underpass was closed through flooding.
under|pin /ʌ ndə r p I n/ (underpins , underpinning , underpinned ) VERB If one thing underpins another, it helps the other thing to continue or succeed by supporting and strengthening it. □ [V n] …mystical themes that underpin all religions. ● under|pin|ning (underpinnings ) N‑VAR □ [+ of ] …the economic underpinning of ancient Mexican society. □ [+ of ] Many questioned the moral underpinnings of our financial dealings with each other.
under|play /ʌ ndə r ple I / (underplays , underplaying , underplayed ) VERB If you underplay something, you make it seem less important than it really is. [mainly BRIT ] □ [V n] We often underplay the skills we have. □ [V n] The problem of corruption was, and still is, often underplayed. in AM, usually use play down