undercover

2 of 3

noun

as in spy
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country within the city was a well-organized fifth column, and these undercovers would make themselves known as soon as the invading forces breached the city limits

Synonyms & Similar Words

undercover

3 of 3

adverb

Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of undercover
Adjective
Danson is a nimble delight going undercover in an old folks’ home in A Man on the Inside and probably is the most deserving. Nate Jones, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025 Reacher dives deep into an undercover ring by securing a job inside the operation though the stakes are high as he’s seen ducking from gunfire, explosions and no shortage of bad guys. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
The documentary is a first time collaboration between ABC News Studios and the Associated Press following a former Army sniper undercover inside the KKK. ABC News, 30 Apr. 2023 Ideally, sufficient background has been done on the suspect and there is a surveillance plan in place so that other deputies besides the undercovers are monitoring the location where the sting occurs. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2023 See all Example Sentences for undercover 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undercover
Adjective
  • Given the clandestine nature of the process, the true number of fictitious sons who arrived during exclusion will never be known.
    Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Inspired by the Belle Époque era in 1900 Buenos Aires, the soaring space manages to feel clandestine with its dim lighting, lush floral displays, and bartenders in crisp white jackets.
    Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • This isn’t a sly spy carrying out a covert operation; this is a spy whose careful plans have been overtaken by events.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as the eighth head coach in franchise history Friday, capping a covert operation that included owner Shad Khan moving on from general manager Trent Baalke and Coen reversing course with the Bucs.
    Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Until this week, the talks loomed as the major unfulfilled mission, or even failure, of his time leading the spy agency.
    Julian E. Barnes, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
  • The movie stars Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx as Emily and Matt, a pair of former CIA spies who traded their lives as operatives to start a family.
    Francesca Gariano, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • As homeowners turn to contractors for the slow process of rebuilding, an immigration policy that deports undocumented workers or forces them underground may hinder the recovery.
    Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2025
  • Since electrical transmission lines have been the cause of many of our recent fires, why doesn’t the state of California provide the funds to put the transmission lines underground and then charge the electrical utility companies 10% of their profits until the cost is fully repaid?
    U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Within moments of entering our lavish suite — complete with a claw-foot tub and plush plaid couches arranged around a fireplace — my daughter noticed a secret door in the wall.
    Leslie Jamison, Travel + Leisure, 23 Jan. 2025
  • More flashbacks to her time in the Terran Empire serve to tie together the origins of this secret superweapon called The Godsend that Georgiou recognizes from her tragic past.
    Jeff Spry, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Many of those operatives were never really on board with the strategy of ditching governance in Gaza and turning to guerrilla combat.
    Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2025
  • That would mark a significant comeback, 15 years after many of the C.I.A.’s operatives in China were caught, and some executed.
    Julian E. Barnes, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Court records show that in 2023, Rodrigues pleaded guilty to seven counts of stalking, stalking with a prior conviction and disclosing private images, but a judge suspended his prison sentence, instead ordering him to serve probation, the newspaper reported.
    Bailey Richards, People.com, 25 Jan. 2025
  • But as fires raged, first responders, private citizens and others went all out to protect property and lives, sometimes at great risk.
    Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • During Trump’s first term, immigration agents arrested people receiving emergency care in hospitals and a child during an ambulance transfer.
    Vanessa G Sánchez and Daniel Chang, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Republican lawmakers in Connecticut are pushing to roll back a state law that limits when law enforcement and correctional officers can cooperate with federal immigration agents.
    Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 23 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near undercover

Cite this Entry

“Undercover.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undercover. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on undercover

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!