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
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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
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Recent Examples of undercover
Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 23 Jan. 2026
There are some exceptions, including having to wear a mask for health reasons and if the officer is undercover.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 22 Jan. 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
The dealer the men had allegedly arranged to meet with was working undercover for the FBI.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 23 Jan. 2026
There are some exceptions, including having to wear a mask for health reasons and if the officer is undercover.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 22 Jan. 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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Manned semisubmersibles built in clandestine jungle shipyards have been used for decades to ferry cocaine north from Colombia, the world's biggest cocaine producer, to Central America or Mexico.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Written and directed by Jafar Panahi (known for his clandestine 2011 documentary This Is Not a Film), the story follows released political prisoners seeking revenge after a chance roadside meeting.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Over the course of the novel, each Flynn girl is suspended from school at least once for some screwball infraction, including spreading conspiratorial theories about covert surveillance operations in town, punching another kid in the face, and preparing to commit an act of domestic terrorism.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
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After Cruise's Ethan Hunt is falsely accused of planting a bomb that nearly obliterates the Kremlin, he is secretly tasked with exposing the real culprit, teaming with fellow agents Jane (Paula Patton) and Benji (Simon Pegg) and an intelligence analyst (Jeremy Renner) on a covert mission.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For the first time, Pixar hired an outside director, Brad Bird, who drew inspiration from spy films and comic books from the 1960s.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
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Fans might recognize her from the streamer's spooky period drama 1899 (2022) or its hit spy thriller Black Doves (2024–present).—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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The show's Broadway run marks a milestone for a show that began as a buzzy, underground delight.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
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Furthermore, shooting underground allowed the story to explore how a major metropolitan city such as Berlin would respond to a hostage situation, especially one with an international element and British authorities also involved.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 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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The beauty of binoculars Of course, city stargazers have a not-so-secret weapon in their war against light pollution — the light-gathering power and magnification of binoculars.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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That is, until Simon's secret superpowers and the Department of Damage Control get in the way of their Hollywood dreams.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In 2008, after the Democrats’ sweeping victory of the White House and Congress, the longtime Republican operative Ralph Reed began studying exit polls to understand why so many conservatives who wouldn’t have dreamed of voting for Al Gore or John Kerry had supported Obama.—
Charles Duhigg,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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When their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances, the pair become CIA operatives.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Fox said the exchange between him and Wasser when he was called back to the restaurant took about 10-12 seconds, but defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo suggested on Monday that the pair may have surreptitiously searched the backpack at that time and found the gun — or potentially planted it.—
Ben Brachfeld,
PEOPLE,
9 Dec. 2025
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In a way, I am being surreptitiously employed by the owner for two minutes.—
Francesco Pacifico,
The Dial,
9 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Undercover.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undercover. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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