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under-the-table

adjective

Definition of under-the-tablenext
as in under-the-counter

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of under-the-table Zumba allegedly asked whether the spouse would be willing to issue real, but unauthorized, ID cards for an under-the-table payment. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 12 Feb. 2026 But while that under-the-table approach by Israel towards Hamas came crashing down with the October 7, 2023 attacks, concern still lingers in Ramallah, the headquarters of the PA , that the new technocratic committee could be another way to divide Palestinians by creating rival centers of power. — Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 18 Jan. 2026 In the meantime, many engage in under-the-table, unreliable work. — Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2025 The truth is, under the old system, plenty of elite players were there only for the under-the-table cash. — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for under-the-table
Recent Examples of Synonyms for under-the-table
  1. under-the-counter
  2. unauthorized
  3. unsanctioned
  4. illicit
  5. unlicensed
  6. unapproved
  7. criminal
  8. contraband
Adjective
  • By night, his father would lend him his binoculars to spy on women through their windows, filling in any gaps in his anatomical understanding with whatever under-the-counter girly magazines had managed to wiggle through Italy’s draconian censorship.
    — Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2024
Definition of under-the-counter
Adjective
  • The agent gained unauthorized access to the public-facing Medicare Statistics Reporting Service, enabling it to access both public and non-public files, and to write files to an internal server.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Those capabilities include autonomous self-improvement, attempts to evade oversight, and certain forms of unauthorized system access.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of unauthorized
Adjective
  • OpenAI had described instances where agents communicated with each other through unsanctioned message boards, uploaded files to the internet, and shared files with each other.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Prompt injection, training data poisoning, model manipulation, agent permission abuse and the leakage of sensitive information into unsanctioned tools create new exposures and expand the attack surface.
    — Rob Sloan, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of unsanctioned
Adjective
  • China has strengthened its seed protection laws several times in the last few years; similarly, Japan passed new legislation in July to prevent the illicit export of homegrown varieties.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
  • According to the manufacturer, the system is designed to deactivate organic medications including opioids, most illicit drugs and vape fluid in different forms like pills, liquid and patches.
    — Sunny Linnebur, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of illicit
Adjective
  • Among the provisions is adding motorbikes and dirt bikes to the sideshow framework, which closes enforcement gaps when unlicensed dirt bikes without plates are used to perform stunts.
    — Tim Fang, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Carts allegedly operating as black-market, private-hire vehicles can be banned from the streets for over a month, or drivers slapped with 4,000-euro ($4,600) fines for unlicensed tour guiding.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of unlicensed
Adjective
  • This is strictly a business matter, and any talk about unpaid fees is just part of our dispute over those unapproved charges.
    — Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • And yet scores of companies selling this and other unapproved drugs have blown through regulatory safeguards to offer access to customers online — part of a national craze that is changing the way consumers buy drugs.
    — Daniel Gilbert, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of unapproved
Adjective
  • Both raised concerns about the 2024 version, telling state lawmakers that the universities could face criminal penalties, civil fines or the loss of federal contracts.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • To spoil more of the joke’s punch lines would be criminal, but rest assured her son eventually confronts her about it.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • Members of the board questioned the Menendez brothers during their hearing last year about violating prison rules, including using contraband cellphones.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Prior contraband attempts involved the launch of a drone from the dead end of Noe Street, just east of the facility, deputies said.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of contraband

Browse Nearby Words

under the influence
under-the-table
under the weather
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Under-the-table.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/under-the-table. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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