Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

3 VERB If you undermine someone's efforts or undermine their chances of achieving something, you behave in a way that makes them less likely to succeed. □ [V n] The continued fighting threatens to undermine efforts to negotiate an agreement.

under|neath /ʌ ndə ^r niː θ/

1 PREP If one thing is underneath another, it is directly under it, and may be covered or hidden by it. □  The device exploded underneath a van. □  …using dogs to locate people trapped underneath collapsed buildings. □  …a table for two underneath the olive trees. □  Her apartment was underneath a bar, called 'The Lift'. ● ADV [n ADV , ADV after v, be ADV , from ADV ] Underneath is also an adverb. □  He has on a denim shirt with a T-shirt underneath. □  …if we could maybe pull back a bit of this carpet to see what's underneath.

2 ADV [ADV after v] The part of something which is underneath is the part which normally touches the ground or faces towards the ground. □  Check the actual construction of the chair by looking underneath. □  His bare feet were smooth on top and rough-skinned underneath. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Underneath is also an adjective. □  Some objects had got entangled with the underneath mechanism of the engine. ● N‑SING Underneath is also a noun. □ [+ of ] Now I know what the underneath of a car looks like.

3 ADV You use underneath when talking about feelings and emotions that people do not show in their behaviour. □  He was as violent as Nick underneath. ● PREP Underneath is also a preposition. □  Underneath his outgoing behaviour Luke was shy.

under|nour|ished /ʌ ndə ^r nʌ r I ʃt, [AM ] -nɜː r-/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If someone is undernourished , they are weak and unhealthy because they have not been eating enough food or the right kind of food. □  …undernourished children.

under|nour|ish|ment /ʌ ndə ^r nʌ r I ʃmənt, [AM ] -nɜː r-/ N‑UNCOUNT If someone is suffering from undernourishment , they have poor health because they have not been eating enough food or are eating the wrong kind of food.

under|paid /ʌ ndə ^r pe I d/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] People who are underpaid are not paid enough money for the job that they do. □  Women are frequently underpaid for the work that they do. □  …underpaid factory workers.

under|pants /ʌ ndə ^r pænts/ N‑PLURAL [oft a pair of N ] Underpants are a piece of underwear which have two holes to put your legs through and elastic around the top to hold them up round your waist or hips. In British English, underpants refers to only men's underwear, but in American English it refers to both men's and women's.

under|pass /ʌ ndə ^r pɑːs, -pæs/ (underpasses ) N‑COUNT An underpass is a road or path that goes underneath a railway or another road. □  The Hanger Lane underpass was closed through flooding.

under|pin /ʌ ndə ^r p I n/ (underpins , underpinning , underpinned ) VERB If one thing underpins another, it helps the other thing to continue or succeed by supporting and strengthening it. □ [V n] …mystical themes that underpin all religions. ●  under|pin|ning (underpinnings ) N‑VAR □ [+ of ] …the economic underpinning of ancient Mexican society. □ [+ of ] Many questioned the moral underpinnings of our financial dealings with each other.