underling
noun
un·der·ling
ˈən-dər-liŋ 
: one who is under the orders of another : subordinate, inferior
Examples of underling in a Sentence
He takes all the credit, but most of the hard work is done by his underlings.
the real estate tycoon has a whole army of underlings to attend to the details
Recent Examples on the Web
Historically, film studios have been run by one monolithic figure, calling shots and running expansive teams of middle managers and underlings.
—
Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
This one regrettable fight between husband and wife has far-reaching implications for the community surrounding a ritzy LA country club, where Josh is the general manager and Ashley and Austin are his underlings.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
Back then, Srinivas noted, a computer was the name for an astronomer’s apprentice; the underling tasked with doing the calculations to support the boss’ celestial theories.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
Shell looked to be on his way to a high-profile comeback after losing his job as NBCUniversal chief executive three years ago over an inappropriate relationship with an underling.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for underling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
This one regrettable fight between husband and wife has far-reaching implications for the community surrounding a ritzy LA country club, where Josh is the general manager and Ashley and Austin are his underlings.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
Back then, Srinivas noted, a computer was the name for an astronomer’s apprentice; the underling tasked with doing the calculations to support the boss’ celestial theories.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
Shell looked to be on his way to a high-profile comeback after losing his job as NBCUniversal chief executive three years ago over an inappropriate relationship with an underling.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for underling
Cite this Entry
“Underling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underling. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
underling
noun
un·der·ling
ˈən-dər-liŋ
: one who is under the orders of another : subordinate
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
