1

underscore

verb un·der·score \ ˈən-dər-ˌskȯr \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: underscore in a Sentence

Definition of underscore

underscored; underscoring; underscores

transitive verb

1 : to draw a line under : underline

2 : to make evident : emphasize, stress

arrived early to underscore the importance of the occasion

3 : to provide (action on film) with accompanying music

See underscore defined for English-language learners

See underscore defined for kids

Examples of underscore in a Sentence

These failures underscore the difficulty of what we're attempting to do.
The President's visit underscores the administration's commitment to free trade.
She underscored the most important points.

Recent Examples of underscore from the Web

With a luminous Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle, the Lincoln Center production underscores the play’s skewering of class and gender privilege and the treatment of women.

— christopher wallenberg, BostonGlobe.com, "Picks and predictions for the Tonys," 8 June 2018
The design, by Rachel Crowl, subtly underscores Mordecai’s dual nature.

— phil vettel, chicagotribune.com, "Review: Will Wentworth's cooking at Mordecai earn him another Michelin star?," 8 June 2018
But Jordan's case underscores how many nonviolent drug offenders are serving life terms in federal prison; as of 2016 1,907 federal inmates were serving life sentences for drug offenses, which are by definition nonviolent.

— Washington Post, "The Health 202: Now it's the White House and Republicans fighting over veterans' funding," 7 June 2018
This underscores how difficult the job of a Milwaukee police officer is.

— elizabeth zwirz, Fox News, "Milwaukee police officer killed, another injured in squad car crash," 7 June 2018
The deal underscores Microsoft’s embrace of open-source software under Satya Nadella, something that was unthinkable under previous chief executives.

— The Economist, "Business this week," 7 June 2018
McClintock's margin of victory in the primary, however, underscores the uphill climb Democrats face in the Republican-leaning district, which Donald Trump won by 54 percent in the 2016 presidential election.

— emily cadei, sacbee, "Winning Democrat faces huge climb to unseat Tom McClintock in Congress," 6 June 2018
Wright’s case underscores how critically important DNA evidence is in criminal prosecutions.

— mark fazlollah, Philly.com, "Philly man, wrongly imprisoned for 25 years, gets nearly $10 million from city," 6 June 2018
My experience as a university president these past few years underscores the need to align policies and expectations.

— New York Times, "What’s the Biggest Challenge for Colleges and Universities?," 5 June 2018

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

First Known Use of underscore

1771

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

underscore Synonyms

Synonyms

accentuate, bring out, emphasize, italicize, stress, underline;

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

decrease, diminish, lessen, minimize, reduce, subdue, tone (down), understate, weaken;

Related Words

amplify, beef (up), boost, reinforce (also reenforce), strengthen;

augment, deepen, enhance, enlarge, heighten, magnify, maximize, supplement;

enliven, jazz (up);

Other Printing Terms

epigraph, errata, leader, mechanical, notch, tittle, widow

2

underscore

noun

Definition of underscore

1 : a line drawn under a word or line especially for emphasis or to indicate intent to italicize

2 : music accompanying the action and dialogue of a film

Recent Examples of underscore from the Web

That blacks may do even better underscores the need to dig deeper to find out why, said Dr. Halabi.

— angela helm, The Root, "FBI Agent Accidentally Shoots Man After Doing a Stanky-Leg Induced Backflip in Bar," 3 June 2018
The soundtrack draws heavily from the discography of Japanese indie band The Pillows, whose wistful brand of alt-rock underscores every climactic scene.

— stephen scaife, The Verge, "Cult favorite anime FLCL is back with new episodes — but 15 years later, the original still shines," 2 June 2018
Now, fresh details from Uber’s fatal self-driving car crash in March underscore not just the difficulty of this problem, but its centrality.

— aarian marshall, WIRED, "False Positives: Self-Driving Cars and the Agony of Knowing What Matters," 29 May 2018
Awards for most performed themes and underscores went to TV composers Joel Beckerman, Cat Gray, Jared Gutstadt, Jeffrey Lippencott, Didier Lean Rachou, Ed Robertson, Mark Snow, David Vanacore, Mark T. Williams and Hans Zimmer.

— melinda newman, Billboard, "Composers John Powell And Germaine Franco Honored at 33rd Annual ASCAP Screen Music Awards," 24 May 2018
The decision to shut all its domestic stores and provide training underscores the damage done to Starbucks’s reputation for being a socially responsible company, one that sells fair-trade coffee and promotes its stores as a meeting place.

— rachel abrams, New York Times, "Starbucks to Close 8,000 U.S. Stores for Racial-Bias Training After Arrests," 17 Apr. 2018
The urgent request for investigation underscores growing scrutiny on Capitol Hill of the influence of social media on American politics, as well as growing concern over release of the classified GOP memo.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Top Democrats warn of ‘ongoing attack by the Russian government’ amid push to publish classified GOP memo," 24 Jan. 2018
And the incentives dangled by the Trump administration for Kim to get rid of its nuclear arsenal underscore how badly the U.S.’s credibility has been damaged.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "North Korea Summit to Hinge on Whether Trump Likes Cut of Kim’s Jib," 13 May 2018
But the most recent recommendations from the FAA and the engine-maker underscore the need for more sophisticated techniques to catch a sub-surface flaw like the one that caused this accident.

— barbara peterson, Popular Mechanics, "The Blown Engine on Southwest Flight 1380 Suffered "Tooth Decay"," 4 May 2018

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

First Known Use of underscore

1901

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Printing Terms

epigraph, errata, leader, mechanical, notch, tittle, underscore, widow

UNDERSCORE Defined for English Language Learners

underscore

verb

Definition of underscore for English Language Learners

: to emphasize (something) or show the importance of (something)
: to draw a line under (something)

UNDERSCORE Defined for Kids

underscore

verb un·der·score \ ˈən-dər-ˌskȯr \

Definition of underscore for Students

underscored; underscoring

1 : underline 1

2 : emphasize

Learn More about underscore

See words that rhyme with underscore Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for underscore Spanish Central: Translation of underscore Nglish: Translation of underscore for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of underscore for Arabic speakers

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