undertow
noun
un·der·tow
ˈən-dər-ˌtō 
1
: the current beneath the surface that sets seaward or along the beach when waves are breaking upon the shore
2
: an underlying current, force, or tendency that is in opposition to what is apparent
Examples of undertow in a Sentence
Don't get caught in the undertow.
Recent Examples on the Web
Blackness tugs at the corners of her vision, an undertow from every direction.
—
Benjamin Vanhoose, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
As for the beaches, most guests don’t bother going, since the Atlantic side has dangerous undertows while the black-sand Caribbean one named Oranje is not particularly inviting.
—Alev Aktar, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2024
And for a brief while, many observers sensed that the eternal undertow of Pakistani politics had somehow reversed.
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2023
And yet, there’s another group of women designers who feel the tug of the undertow of something darker, romantic, gothic (as in Mary Shelley, not Siouxsie Sioux, though maybe sometimes her too) and delightfully fragmented and fractured.
—Mark Holgate, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for undertow 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Benjamin Vanhoose, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
As for the beaches, most guests don’t bother going, since the Atlantic side has dangerous undertows while the black-sand Caribbean one named Oranje is not particularly inviting.
—Alev Aktar, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2024
And for a brief while, many observers sensed that the eternal undertow of Pakistani politics had somehow reversed.
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2023
And yet, there’s another group of women designers who feel the tug of the undertow of something darker, romantic, gothic (as in Mary Shelley, not Siouxsie Sioux, though maybe sometimes her too) and delightfully fragmented and fractured.
—Mark Holgate, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for undertow
Dictionary Entries Near undertow
Cite this Entry
“Undertow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undertow. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
undertow
noun
un·der·tow
ˈən-dər-ˌtō
: a current beneath the surface of the water that moves away from or along the shore while the surface water above it moves toward the shore
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share