under cover
1 of 3phrase
1
: in an envelope or wrapper
2
: under concealment : in secret
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
Examples of under cover 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
Shayla Love, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
Released in 2015, Spy was about a CIA analyst who usually spends all day at her desk going undercover to help on a big case.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025
Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
Four other agents accompanied me, all also operating undercover.
—Martin Suarez, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for under cover
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Adjective
Festinger and two colleagues, plus several assistants, went undercover.
—Shayla Love, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
Released in 2015, Spy was about a CIA analyst who usually spends all day at her desk going undercover to help on a big case.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025
Noun
Le, who was working undercover, was shot while inside his vehicle after responding to one of multiple burglaries at a cannabis business on Embarcadero near Fifth Ave.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
Four other agents accompanied me, all also operating undercover.
—Martin Suarez, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for under cover
Cite this Entry
“Under cover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/under%20cover. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.
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