1
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
an undercover operation to infiltrate the terrorist organization
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in spy
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
within the city was a well-organized fifth column, and these undercovers would make themselves known as soon as the invading forces breached the city limits
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in underground
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of undercover
Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
In the undercover exchange, the officer told Raybon her previous pimp had beaten her and failed to pay her properly.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Dana Taylor, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025
He is aided by Yasir Abbas, a weapons specialist; Raghuveer Singh, a sniper who served in Kashmir and Tawang; Uday Bhan, an explosives expert; and Sukhbir Singh, an Indian agent undercover in Pakistan posing as a Karachi stockbroker.
—Time, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for undercover
Adjective
One of the laws required all law enforcement operating in the state to visibly display identification while on duty, with narrow exclusions for plainclothes, undercover and SWAT details.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
In the undercover exchange, the officer told Raybon her previous pimp had beaten her and failed to pay her properly.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Noun
Law enforcement officers working in plain clothes or undercover is nothing new.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025
He is aided by Yasir Abbas, a weapons specialist; Raghuveer Singh, a sniper who served in Kashmir and Tawang; Uday Bhan, an explosives expert; and Sukhbir Singh, an Indian agent undercover in Pakistan posing as a Karachi stockbroker.
—Time, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for undercover
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undercover
Adjective
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The documentary is built around the investigative work of journalists Katya Hakim and Denis Korotkov who picked up the mantle from three colleagues who were brutally slain while looking into Wagner’s clandestine activities in Africa.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
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On this occasion in 2018, Rodriguez and others in the group had received an anonymous tip of a possible clandestine cemetery on the outskirts of Cordoba.—
Kamala Thiagarajan,
NPR,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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None could tame its political furies; its covert operations, which killed more than a thousand Americans in Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan; or its expansion, through the creation of like-minded extremist movements, across the Middle East.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
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Minneapolis psychologist Lucy Olson helped organize a covert grassroots network that swelled to 2,000 volunteers assisting around 500 immigrant families with legal matters, shelter, food and rent assistance.—
Steve Karnowski,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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According to our spy photographer, these are indeed a Maserati Gran Cabrio Folgore and Gran Turismo Trofeo as their respective exterior treatments imply.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
5 Mar. 2026
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The English actor was a relatively unknown commodity on this side of the pond but became a brilliant revelation for his role in the Cold War thriller as a quiet, older Brooklyn man arrested for being a Soviet spy.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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The Iranians have chosen to build their nuclear weapons program underground.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
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The black marks across Buckley’s face in the film are, in the production’s visual conception, the ink of Shelley’s own manuscript bleeding out — a woman underground for two centuries, unable to finish the thought.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Get Ready: Katy Perry Has Released a Sneak Peek of Her New Song And the internet has receipts.—
Mehera Bonner,
Marie Claire,
15 Mar. 2017
Adjective
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There are also daily lectures from guides on everything from the secret lives of plants to the complexity of Amazonian fish species.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
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The musketeer names are code names so that these resistance operatives can keep their real identities secret.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Using a special encryption code, the operatives could translate the numerals into a readable message.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Republican operatives have pointed to Kim’s lukewarm support of the president in previous years.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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But tech companies will have to prove that new devices can do things better or differently than smartphones and alleviate privacy concerns around devices can surreptitiously record their surroundings.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
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Also, strong steps against the Russian shadow fleet that surreptitiously transports energy products, designation of Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, and other economic measures strongly penalizing Russia and aiding Ukraine.—
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Undercover.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undercover. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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