under-the-counter
adjective
un·der-the-count·er
ˈən-dər-ṯẖə-ˈkau̇n-tər 
: surreptitious and usually irregular or illicit
under-the-counter liquor sales
Examples of under-the-counter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By night, his father would lend him his binoculars to spy on women through their windows, filling in any gaps in his anatomical understanding with whatever under-the-counter girly magazines had managed to wiggle through Italy’s draconian censorship.
—
Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2024
Filtering your water If PFAS levels are concerning, consumers can purchase an under-the-counter water filter for their tap.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Have a variety — an overhead light; warm-toned, under-the-counter LED task strips.
—Kim Cook, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2023
Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2024
Filtering your water If PFAS levels are concerning, consumers can purchase an under-the-counter water filter for their tap.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Have a variety — an overhead light; warm-toned, under-the-counter LED task strips.
—Kim Cook, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'under-the-counter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Under-the-counter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/under-the-counter. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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