undercover

1 of 2

adjective

un·​der·​cov·​er ˌən-dər-ˈkə-vər How to pronounce undercover (audio)
: acting or executed in secret
specifically : employed or engaged in spying or secret investigation
an undercover agent
undercover adverb

undercover

2 of 2

noun

: a person engaged in undercover activity : spy

Examples of undercover in a Sentence

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
Adjective
That's when Russell allegedly turned to her colleagues for help, and one of them put her in touch with an undercover FBI agent purporting to be a hitman. Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 11 Mar. 2024 Russell was arrested in San Francisco just days after Le’s death on Dec. 29, which happened as the undercover officer responded to a pre-dawn burglary call at a marijuana grow house along the city’s waterfront. Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 While undercover in prison during the season 20 finale, Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) met Riva’s newest victim, Reymundo De Leon (Michael Garza). EW.com, 12 Feb. 2024 And from that point on, Tony Conte, the undercover agent, got a remote starter for his car. Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024 Velasco joined the Special Victims Unit as a former undercover agent who grew up deep in cartel territory in Mexico. Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 Rocha had at least three meetings with an undercover FBI agent, whom the retired diplomat believed to be a representative of Cuba's spy agency. Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 29 Feb. 2024 In one instance, an undercover agent entered Throop Farm Market and used an EBT card to pay for a beer, and requested cash back on the card, according to court documents. USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2024 Since October 7th, messages in settler chat groups had portrayed olive pickers as undercover Hamas operatives and as Nazis. Shane Bauer, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024
Noun
Back at the hospital Jack tells Brady that working undercover took a lot of courage. Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 8 Sep. 2023 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

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

First Known Use

Adjective

1920, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1962, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of undercover was in 1920

Dictionary Entries Near undercover

Cite this Entry

“Undercover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undercover. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on undercover

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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