undercount

verb

un·​der·​count ˌən-dər-ˈkau̇nt 

undercounted; undercounting; undercounts

transitive verb

: to count fewer than the actual number of

undercount noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Those, rather than heat, can be what's listed on the death certificate, which is why official records tend to undercount them. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2022

Researchers said the discrepancy likely resulted from human error and a lack of resources that led states to undercount and mislabel veteran deaths. —Melissa Chan, NBC News, 17 Sep. 2022

The report’s authors said the dollar figures undercount the actual total. —Heather Somerville, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022

Official data dramatically undercount the true number of infections in the US, epidemiologists say, leaving the nation with a critical blind spot as the most transmissible coronavirus variant yet takes hold. —Eliza Mackintosh, CNN, 13 July 2022

Official Covid-19 case metrics severely undercount the true number of infections, leaving the United States with a critical blind spot as the most transmissible coronavirus variant yet takes hold. —Deidre Mcphillips, CNN, 11 July 2022

The paper argued the lack of access to COVID-19 tests, patchy records of causes of death, and political incentives to undercount hindered an accurate count of deaths. —Sophie Mellor, Fortune, 5 May 2022

Those elevated totals come despite the fact Connecticut continues to significantly undercount COVID-19 cases, as a result of at-home tests that never get reported to the state. —Alex Putterman, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2022

The United Nations said Friday that 816 civilians had been killed and 1,333 injured since the start of Russia’s invasion, while noting those figures likely undercount the true scope of casualties. —Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2022

See More

Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above