underline

1 of 2

verb

underlined; underlining; underlines

transitive verb

1
: to mark (something, such as a word) with a line underneath
2
: to put emphasis on : stress
3
: to show clearly or emphatically

underline

2 of 2

noun

un·​der·​line ˈən-dər-ˌlīn How to pronounce underline (audio)
1
: the outline of a quadruped's underbody
also : the ventral surface of a quadruped's body
2
: a horizontal line placed underneath something

Examples of underline in a Sentence

Verb His name was underlined in the book. The accident underlines our need for better safety procedures.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
This trend underlines the healthcare industry’s urgent need to find solutions that stop financial losses and improve company culture. Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024 Everything that happened as a result of the pandemic has underlined the importance of being ready for future issues, de Oliveira said, and ACI is working with member airports to become more resilient. Marnie Hunter, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024 The discovery underlines just how much of Pompeii remains buried: More than a third of Pompeii is untouched and unexplored by archaeologists. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024 Biden told everyone in the Middle East to avoid a wider war and anchored U.S. Navy warships in the Eastern Mediterranean to underline the American message. Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024 While the Dodgers have long prioritized starting pitcher rest — last year, the team started a pitcher on four days’ or fewer rest only 51 times, including a handful of one-inning openers — the make-up of their pitching personnel this season has underlined that objective like never before. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024 The furor underlines the polarizing impact of attempts by legislators around the world to find a balance. Leo Sands, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024 The agreement between Imax and Bona is the first between the two companies since the COVID pandemic and is heralded as underlining the box office recovery in China. Patrick Frater, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024 The project underlines Japan’s hopes to regain its presence in the computer chips industry. Yuri Kageyama, Quartz, 6 Apr. 2024
Noun
That award signified their gradual re-embrace by a local industry that had once spurned them, toward an uncontested master status that this bright, doting documentary underlines. Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Feb. 2024 Two events from the past week underline this point, which has been argued by legal scholars on all sides of the ideological spectrum since the 1930s until the present day. Peter Vanham, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2024 All the while, Feresten continues to mark up the cue cards with a Sharpie — crossing out a word here, adding a red underline for emphasis there — before handing it to a young assistant over his right shoulder. Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023 And there are so many examples that are similar that underline the practical relevance. Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 31 May 2023 The piece of paper, Peter…are you team underline, or team cross-out? Gosh. Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2023 The ambiguity of the underline/strikethrough is almost certainly just a mistake by an old man in poor health who rarely had cause to write anything. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2023 All hell starts breaking loose before the one-hour point, and at first these goings-on further underline the sense of homage to Williams Friedkin and Blatty’s horror classic. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 23 Mar. 2023 Wang’s remarks on Monday underline Beijing’s hardening tone to an incident that has derailed months of efforts to repair worsening U.S.-China ties. Lily Kuo, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'underline.' 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

Verb

1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of underline was in 1721

Dictionary Entries Near underline

Cite this Entry

“Underline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underline. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

underline

verb
un·​der·​line
ˈən-dər-ˌlīn,
ˌən-dər-ˈlīn
1
: to draw a line under : underscore
2
underline
ˈən-dər-ˌlīn
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on underline

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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