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
  • Behind the bar, crammed into a small station barely wide enough for one person, were two rice cookers, a combination oven, an induction burner and an under-the-counter fridge.
    — Priya Krishna, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
  • 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
  • Elsewhere, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said a tanker caught fire early Wednesday after striking a naval mine while traveling along an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Explain what happened and ask about protecting your account or disputing unauthorized charges.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of unauthorized
Adjective
  • After a global famine, survivors form a ruthless regime to colonize Indigenous land for agriculture and punish unsanctioned procreation with death.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2026
  • As a school board president, Shaw led efforts to ban unsanctioned flags on campuses and in classrooms.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of unsanctioned
Adjective
  • The panel is like a scene sculpted in marble commemorating obsessive and illicit love; in such instances, the loss of the object of desire feels like an amputation, because the unobtainable lover is an extension and part of oneself.
    — Artforum, Artforum, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The probe could mark the start of a tougher response to illicit operators occupying sites, following years of complaints from some of the world’s biggest mining companies.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of illicit
Adjective
  • Part of the reform focused on eliminating misdemeanor criminal penalties, arrests and jail time for unlicensed mobile food vendors and replacing them with civil violations and fines.
    — Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
  • New York state sued Kalshi and Polymarket this year, claiming that the companies each ran unlicensed sports gambling businesses.
    — Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of unlicensed
Adjective
  • In some border cities, such as Sinuiju, the party has recently banned any unapproved gatherings of three or more people.
    — Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is moving to allow access to six unapproved peptides—injectable drugs promoted on social media for weight loss, muscle growth, slower aging, and more.
    — Jenna Anderson, HEALTH, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of unapproved
Adjective
  • Also Sunday, prosecutors ordered a 48-hour detention of Marko Kricak, Vucic's chief of criminal police.
    — MARKO DROBNJAKOVIC, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Linn County prosecutors did not file criminal charges, but the church would not allow Moore to work with children, youth and vulnerable adults.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • Officers searched the restroom and found a package of contraband drugs, including K2, high-potency THC wax and suboxone strips.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • His current release date is scheduled for March 2028, a recent change after he was reportedly caught using a contraband cell phone to scroll on Instagram.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 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 13 Nov. 2026.

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