undertow

noun

un·​der·​tow ˈən-dər-ˌtō 

1

: the current beneath the surface that sets seaward or along the beach when waves are breaking upon the shore

2

: an underlying current, force, or tendency that is in opposition to what is apparent

… a huge undertow of opinion among medical and legal experts who say that the country has gone too far in making resuscitation a matter of consumer choice.

—Elisabeth Rosenthal

Examples of undertow in a Sentence

Don't get caught in the undertow.

Recent Examples on the Web

Brown and her creative team have gotten caught up in adornment without capturing a deeper undertow that strings it all together. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026

To exist at all is to feel the clock-steady undertow of inertia. —Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026

The National Park Service cautions visitors not to swim or surf at North Beach, where rip currents, undertow and sneaker waves are common. —Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Mar. 2026

Yet surges of institutional attention have their own rhythm—and their own undertow. —Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for undertow

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

Kids Definition

undertow

noun

un·​der·​tow ˈən-dər-ˌtō 

: a current beneath the surface of the water that moves away from or along the shore while the surface water above it moves toward the shore