undercover

2 of 3

noun

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

undercover

3 of 3

adverb

Examples 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 undercover
Adjective
The movie plays like a cat-and-mouse thriller but is also a moving character study of both Lefty and Johnny Depp’s title character, an FBI agent who goes undercover and gets in too deep. Stuart Miller, Orange County Register, 10 Dec. 2024 So do your homework and maybe even a little undercover stakeout. Teja Chekuri, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Noun
Ideally, sufficient background has been done on the suspect and there is a surveillance plan in place so that other deputies besides the undercovers are monitoring the location where the sting occurs. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2023 The hook for his inexcusably overlong gangster picture sends an informant undercover into the ranks of his brother’s crew of soccer hooligans to snitch him free of drug-dealing charges. Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2022 See all Example Sentences for undercover 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undercover
Adjective
  • She's Helen, an agent passing on tips from high up in the Prime Minister's office to a clandestine agency (her loving husband happens to be Britain's defense minister).
    Tom Gliatto, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Through clandestine operations and cyberattacks, the country sabotaged key Iranian nuclear facilities.
    Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • But all of that changed starting in 2017, when Mr. Trump became president amid the F.B.I. investigation into Russia’s covert attempt to manipulate the 2016 election and the nature of the ties between his campaign and Moscow.
    Charlie Savage, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2024
  • The indictment shows that the FBI unraveled some of the covert schemes and identified specific perpetrators.
    Michael Kan, PCMAG, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • This John and Jane Smith are two lonely strangers who sign up for a mysterious spy agency and get paired together, posing as a married couple.
    EW.com, EW.com, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Zoom in: Both President Biden and President-elect Trump — and many spies, diplomats and defense officials personally involved in the tumultuous events of the last year — agree that Assad was doomed by the weakening of his allies, Russia and Iran.
    Barak Ravid, Axios, 9 Dec. 2024
Adverb
  • Their nests are usually underground though, as well as near roots of large trees.
    Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2024
  • Archaeologists found 32 needle fragments made from animal bone buried almost 15 feet (nearly 5 meters) underground at the La Prele site in Converse County.
    Katie Hunt, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Before her secret tryst with Sandoval, Leviss was in a five-year long relationship with Kennedy before the duo announced the end of their engagement in December 2021.
    Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
  • The elegant facade belied its notorious history: The building served as the primary secret detention center for the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s.
    Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The film centers on an ex-special ops operative who investigates a cybercrime syndicate after a young woman falls victim to a scam.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Along with billing itself as the world's largest provider of canine detections, Allied provides armed operatives that Kucera said have been in more demand the last 18 months and really since societal tensions heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The Humphreys family sold a 25% stake in the business to the Carlyle Group, a $447 billion (assets under management) private equity firm, for an undisclosed sum in 2019.
    Jemima McEvoy, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
  • African American freshmen enrollment has notably decreased by 16.9% at highly selective public and private nonprofit four-year schools.
    Janae Bowens, Baltimore Sun, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Smirnov’s tenure as a confidential source for the FBI ended in spectacular fashion in February, with a grand jury in L.A. charging him with obstructing justice and lying to federal agents.
    Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
  • The money is earmarked for further investment in the technology underpinning the platform – including features such as artificial intelligence agents that support sellers – and to put staff on the ground in its biggest markets, such as the US and the Middle East.
    David Prosser, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near undercover

Cite this Entry

“Undercover.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undercover. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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