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
Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
Whether openly or undercover, MSV doesn’t just fail shareholders.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
First, in February 2008, a Dutch TV station aired a confession allegedly made by van der Sloot and captured on a hidden camera by Patrick van der Eem, a businessman working undercover for a Dutch journalist.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for under cover
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Adjective
According to his plea agreement with prosecutors, Doyle sold a Glock pistol to an undercover informant on May 20, 2025 — part of a series of transactions on Chicago’s South Side that led to his arrest on July 7, 2025, a few days after the shooting at his daughter’s party.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
Whether openly or undercover, MSV doesn’t just fail shareholders.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
Noun
The result is that the majority — roughly 70% of public firms — of Self-Dealers and Value-Extractors still practicing MSV undercover are enjoying below-average as shown by the data in Figure 2 from Professor Felix Oberholzer’s book Better Simpler Strategy.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
First, in February 2008, a Dutch TV station aired a confession allegedly made by van der Sloot and captured on a hidden camera by Patrick van der Eem, a businessman working undercover for a Dutch journalist.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
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 25 Jun. 2026.
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