English · Word Candidate

undercover

/ˌʌndə(ɹ)ˈkʌvə(ɹ)/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: undercovers · undercovering · undercovered

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Performed or happening in secret.

Adjective

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Employed or engaged in spying or secret investigation.

Adjective

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

A person who works undercover.

Noun

Examples

Then there's the heterosexual, open-mined ^([sic]) entourage who loves us dearly and are our best friends. They laugh at our humor and understand our sorrow. For they are rare and unique in prison. But the vipers always ruin things. They refer to our straight friends as "Closet-Cases," "Undercovers,

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

To provide too little coverage.

Verb

Examples

The estimates of bias reported here depend on the assumption that 6- to 14-year-olds were undercovered at the same rate as children 0 to 14 years old and that 16- to 17-year-olds were undercovered at the same rate as 16- to 19-year-olds.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “undercover” mean?

Performed or happening in secret.

Is “undercover” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.