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Definition of understate
transitive verb
1 : to represent as less than is the case understate taxable income
2 : to state or present with restraint especially for effect
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Examples of understate in a Sentence
He understated his taxable income.
She's trying to understate the issue.
Recent Examples of understate from the Web
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That’ll mean more negative attention directed Duke’s way, but the Blue Devils are used to that, and the upside of having a senior leader can’t be understated.
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The biggest penalties were 90-day suspensions of operations for exhibitors that understated revenue by more than 1 million yuan ($146,000).
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The formal, and understated dinner conversation suddenly turned tense, according to three people who were present and confirmed both the substance and the wording of Biden’s responses.
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The formal, and understated dinner conversation suddenly turned tense, according to three people who were present and confirmed both the substance and the wording of Biden’s responses.
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The restatement reflected, among other things, that Swisher had substantially overstated its earnings and significantly understated its losses during the relevant period, documents show.
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The other is Carlos Beltran, the ageless, understated former Royals star who arrived back at Kauffman Stadium on Monday as a member of the Houston Astros.
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Harris says that Campaigne's art of designing both a dramatic yet understated home makes for a perfect backdrop to watch the light change through the trees.
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A sequence late in the film, set in a French hotel room near the front, is both understated and authentically seductive.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'understate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of understate
1824
UNDERSTATE Defined for English Language Learners
understate
playDefinition of understate for English Language Learners
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: to say that (something) is smaller, less important, etc., than it really is
Learn More about understate
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See words that rhyme with understate Spanish Central: Translation of understate Nglish: Translation of understate for Spanish speakers
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