undercut

[ verb uhn-der-kuht, uhn-der-kuht; noun, adjective, uhn-der-kuht ]
See synonyms for undercut on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),un·der·cut, un·der·cut·ting.
  1. to cut under or beneath.

  2. to cut away material from so as to leave a portion overhanging, as in carving or sculpture.

  1. to offer goods or services at a lower price or rate than (a competing price or rate) or than that of (a competitor).

  2. to weaken or destroy the impact or effectiveness of; undermine.

  3. Golf. to hit (the ball) so as to cause a backspin.

  4. Tennis. to slice (the ball) using an underhand motion.

  5. to cut (a sound recording) with grooves too shallow or with insufficient lateral motion of the stylus.

  6. Forestry. to cut a notch in (a tree) in order to control the direction in which the tree is to fall.

verb (used without object),un·der·cut, un·der·cut·ting.
  1. to undercut material, a competitor, a ball, etc.

noun
  1. a cut or a cutting away underneath.

  2. a notch cut in a tree to determine the direction in which the tree is to fall and to prevent splitting.

  1. a haircut for men or women in which one or both sides and often the back are shaved or cut very short, leaving longer hair at the top of the head: an undercut with a side part.

  2. Golf. a backspin.

  3. Tennis. a slice or cut made with an underhand motion.

  4. Chiefly British. a tenderloin of beef including the fillet.

  5. Dentistry. a tooth cavity prepared with a wide base for anchoring a filling securely.

adjective
  1. having or resulting from an undercut.

Origin of undercut

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English undercutten “to cut down”; see under-, cut

Words Nearby undercut

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

How to use undercut in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for undercut

undercut

verb(ˌʌndəˈkʌt, ˈʌndəˌkʌt) -cuts, -cutting or -cut
  1. to charge less than (a competitor) in order to obtain trade

  2. to cut away the under part of (something)

  1. sport to hit (a ball) in such a way as to impart backspin

noun(ˈʌndəˌkʌt)
  1. the act or an instance of cutting underneath

  2. a part that is cut away underneath

  1. a tenderloin of beef, including the fillet

  2. forestry, mainly US and Canadian a notch cut in a tree trunk, to ensure a clean break in felling

  3. sport a stroke that imparts backspin to the ball

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