underling

noun

un·​der·​ling ˈən-dər-liŋ How to pronounce underling (audio)
: one who is under the orders of another : subordinate, inferior

Examples of underling in a Sentence

He takes all the credit, but most of the hard work is done by his underlings. the real estate tycoon has a whole army of underlings to attend to the details
Recent Examples on the Web While this is intentionally a casual Friday dress office, these are very bespoke underlings, but only one, glaringly, is dressed to vibrant excess, if not success. Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 8 Oct. 2024 From his prison cell at Corcoran, witnesses testified at Chavez’s trial, Estrada controlled a network of underlings who collected money and sold drugs in nearly every prison yard in California. Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024 Davis saw Poor Devil, as the project was renamed, as an inversion of It’s a Wonderful Life: A bumbling but lovable underling in the afterlife attempts to earn a promotion — only not by saving a good man but by convincing one to sell his soul. Alex Bhattacharji, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2024 Netanyahu dismissed the reports by his underlings and a warning from the Egyptian government. Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for underling 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'underling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of underling was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near underling

Cite this Entry

“Underling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underling. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

underling

noun
un·​der·​ling ˈən-dər-liŋ How to pronounce underling (audio)
: one who is under the orders of another : subordinate
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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