underline

[ verb uhn-der-lahyn, uhn-der-lahyn; noun uhn-der-lahyn ]
See synonyms for underline on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),un·der·lined, un·der·lin·ing.
  1. to mark with a line or lines underneath; underscore.

  2. to indicate the importance of; emphasize, as by stressing or italicizing.

noun
  1. Printing. a caption under an illustration.

  2. a line drawn under something; an underscore.

Origin of underline

1
First recorded in 1715–25; under- + line1

Other words from underline

  • un·der·lin·ing, un·der·lin·e·a·tion [uhn-der-lin-ee-ey-shuhn], /ˌʌn dərˌlɪn iˈeɪ ʃən/, noun
  • un·der·lin·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for underline

underline

verb(ˌʌndəˈlaɪn) (tr)
  1. to put a line under

  2. to state forcibly; emphasize or reinforce

noun(ˈʌndəˌlaɪn)
  1. a line underneath, esp under written matter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012