underline

verb un·der·line \ ˈən-dər-ˌlīn , ˌən-dər-ˈlīn \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: underline in a Sentence

Definition of underline

underlined; underlining; underlines

transitive verb

1 : to mark (something, such as a word) with a line underneath

2 : to put emphasis on : stress

3 : to show clearly or emphatically

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Examples of underline in a Sentence

His name was underlined in the book.
The accident underlines our need for better safety procedures.

Recent Examples of underline from the Web

The insecurity in Venezuela underlines a larger trend in Latin America and the Caribbean, which has suffered from perennially high levels of insecurity.

— rory smith, CNN, "Venezuela named world's most dangerous country again, poll finds," 8 June 2018
The warning underlines the enduring threat of attacks even as production recovers from a major militant campaign in 2016.

— elisha bala-gbogbo, Bloomberg.com, "Shell Says Nigeria Attacks Recur Even as Oil Output Recovers," 5 June 2018
But more than 17 years after the overthrow of the Taliban, the report underlines the still-dire situation facing many women in Afghanistan, which ranks near the bottom of the United Nations Development Programme's Gender Inequality Index.

— james mackenzie, The Christian Science Monitor, "Efforts to protect Afghan women are failing, UN reports," 30 May 2018
The referendum result underlines the shrinking influence, following a series of abuse scandals, of the Irish Roman Catholic church, which pushed for the 1983 ban.

— The Economist, "Irish referendum voters decisively opt for permitting abortion," 26 May 2018
Which underlines how cash management has been a low priority for City Hall.

— joseph n. distefano, Philly.com, "Philly's missing $26M shows its priorities: Potholes outrank IT," 24 May 2018
The weight that many place on transit underlines its importance for economic development and growth, and the potentially stifling effect of not addressing the lingering problem of overdue repairs and upgrades.

— patrick sisson, Curbed, "U.S. public transit’s precarious state could cost country billions," 17 May 2018
The extraordinary promise from Canada’s Finance Minister, Bill Morneau, underlines the importance the project represents for the government, the economy and the country’s energy sector.

— paul vieira, WSJ, "Canada Ready to Compensate Kinder Morgan for Pipeline Losses," 16 May 2018
Habib's blacklisting underlines how fluid the relationships among Iraq, Iran and the United States can be, even though the latter two are fierce rivals.

— tamer el-ghobashy, Washington Post, "U.S. financial sanctions on Iran net a freshly minted Iraqi lawmaker," 16 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'underline.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of underline

1721

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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underline Synonyms

underline

noun un·der·line \ ˈən-dər-ˌlīn \

Definition of underline

1 : the outline of a quadruped's underbody; also : the ventral surface of a quadruped's body

2 : a horizontal line placed underneath something

Recent Examples of underline from the Web

There might be multiple exclamation points, or several underlines, and that number will usually land somewhere in the 90s or high 80s.

— michael austin, chicagotribune.com, "Not everyone's a fan of wine scores, but there's a way to use them," 25 Apr. 2018
The taillamps remain in the same location but have been restyled to feature a slim, lighted underline.

— tony markovich, Car and Driver, "2019 Jeep Cherokee: The Baby Grand," 17 Jan. 2018
And so a quote from the paper, rules tend to use formulas or equations for the policy instrument at least as a guide – and those underlines are mine, not John’s – when making decisions.

— WSJ, "Transcript: John Taylor Presentation and Q&A at Boston Fed," 15 Oct. 2017
This video below underlines just how far he's come.

— gregory krieg, CNN, "Jeff Sessions is doing what President Trump can't," 6 Sep. 2017
There is no question — underline no question — that the Russian government interfered in the U.S. election last year, and Moscow continues to meddle in the Democratic processes of our friends and allies.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Why conservatives loved Trump’s U.N. speech so much," 20 Sep. 2017