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understate

[uhn-der-steyt]

verb (used with object), un·der·stat·ed, un·der·stat·ing.

to state or represent less strongly or strikingly than the facts would bear out; set forth in restrained, moderate, or weak terms: The casualty lists understate the extent of the disaster.

Origin:
1815–25; under- + state

Related forms

un·der·state·ment

[uhn-der-steyt-muhnt, uhn-der-steyt-] noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Understate is one of our favorite verbs.

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to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

to flee; abscond:

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Collins

World English Dictionary

understate (ˌʌndəˈsteɪt)

—vb
1.	to state (something) in restrained terms, often to obtain an ironic effect
2.	to state that (something, such as a number) is less than it is

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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