un·der·cov·er
ˌən-dər-ˈkə-vər 
: acting or executed in secret
specifically
: employed or engaged in spying or secret investigation
an undercover agent
undercover
adverb
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Adjective
an undercover operation to infiltrate the terrorist organization
for months she's been an undercover agent pretending to be a drug dealer
Noun
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Hannah Allam, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2023
Others, including Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, have spread a conspiracy theory that the insurrection was fueled or set up by undercover law enforcement informants, and that any protests this week could be similarly used against Trump supporters.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 21 Mar. 2023
And conspiracy theories that the riot was fueled or even set up by undercover law enforcement informants in the crowd have continued to flourish online, with Trump supporters in the last two days citing that angst as a basis for steering clear of a new large-scale protest.
—Eric Tucker And Michael Kunzelman, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Mar. 2023
And conspiracy theories that the riot was fueled or even set up by undercover law enforcement informants in the crowd have continued to flourish online, with Trump supporters citing that angst as a basis for steering clear of a new large-scale protest.
—Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2023
After that transaction, the lead case agent, Scott Carpenter, joined the undercover operative and the two other agents in eating and drinking their way through the $1,500 food and beverage minimum to rent the cabana.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2023
Saldana will portray the station chief of the Lioness program who manages and leads undercover female operatives.
—Jacob Siegal, BGR, 6 Jan. 2023
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
The hook for his inexcusably overlong gangster picture sends an informant undercover into the ranks of his brother’s crew of soccer hooligans to snitch him free of drug-dealing charges.
—Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2022
The rapper poked fun at an Internet meme comparing her to Wayans in White Chicks, dressing up as the character in question (an FBI agent undercover as a socialite).
—Grace Gavilanes, Peoplemag, 27 Oct. 2022
That’s the trademark of a crack undercover: a genius for playing yourself.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2022
Of the several hundred people who do face-to-face ops, most have only handled a couple of cases as the primary undercover.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2022
In 2016, Kun Shan Chun, an FBI employee, pleaded guilty to operating undercover for China over the course of several years, accepting cash, using prostitutes, and living in exuberant accommodations overseas.
—Fox News, 22 Apr. 2020
But unlike seismic shifts of the past — ingrained into the American consciousness through a single catastrophic event — the novel coronavirus crept in undercover, one mind-boggling announcement at a time.
—Mandy Mclaren, The Courier-Journal, 20 Mar. 2020
See More
Adjective
Government witnesses included a high-level Proud Boy who agreed to plead guilty and cooperate after Jan. 6, but no one identified as an undercover informant.
—Hannah Allam, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2023
Others, including Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, have spread a conspiracy theory that the insurrection was fueled or set up by undercover law enforcement informants, and that any protests this week could be similarly used against Trump supporters.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 21 Mar. 2023
And conspiracy theories that the riot was fueled or even set up by undercover law enforcement informants in the crowd have continued to flourish online, with Trump supporters in the last two days citing that angst as a basis for steering clear of a new large-scale protest.
—Eric Tucker And Michael Kunzelman, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Mar. 2023
And conspiracy theories that the riot was fueled or even set up by undercover law enforcement informants in the crowd have continued to flourish online, with Trump supporters citing that angst as a basis for steering clear of a new large-scale protest.
—Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2023
After that transaction, the lead case agent, Scott Carpenter, joined the undercover operative and the two other agents in eating and drinking their way through the $1,500 food and beverage minimum to rent the cabana.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2023
Saldana will portray the station chief of the Lioness program who manages and leads undercover female operatives.
—Jacob Siegal, BGR, 6 Jan. 2023
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
The hook for his inexcusably overlong gangster picture sends an informant undercover into the ranks of his brother’s crew of soccer hooligans to snitch him free of drug-dealing charges.
—Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2022
The rapper poked fun at an Internet meme comparing her to Wayans in White Chicks, dressing up as the character in question (an FBI agent undercover as a socialite).
—Grace Gavilanes, Peoplemag, 27 Oct. 2022
That’s the trademark of a crack undercover: a genius for playing yourself.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2022
Of the several hundred people who do face-to-face ops, most have only handled a couple of cases as the primary undercover.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2022
In 2016, Kun Shan Chun, an FBI employee, pleaded guilty to operating undercover for China over the course of several years, accepting cash, using prostitutes, and living in exuberant accommodations overseas.
—Fox News, 22 Apr. 2020
But unlike seismic shifts of the past — ingrained into the American consciousness through a single catastrophic event — the novel coronavirus crept in undercover, one mind-boggling announcement at a time.
—Mandy Mclaren, The Courier-Journal, 20 Mar. 2020
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'undercover.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near undercover
Cite this Entry
“Undercover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undercover. Accessed 28 May. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
undercover
adjective
un·der·cov·er
-ˌkəv-ər
: acting or performed in secret
an undercover scheme
especially
: employed or engaged in spying or secret investigation
an undercover agent
undercover
adverb
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