Undercover

How to spell undercover

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce undercover

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does undercover mean?

1. adjectiveDone or working secretly, often using a disguised or false identity.
2. adverbIn a secret manner, while concealing one's true identity or purpose.

Undercover in a sentence

• adjective

  The undercover officer spent months gathering evidence against the gang.

• adverb

  He worked undercover for two years before the case finally went to trial.

• adjective

  Reporters launched an undercover investigation into the factory's working conditions.

• adverb

  The detective went undercover to infiltrate the smuggling ring.

Where does undercover come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a transparent English compound, built from the native Old English elements 'under', meaning 'beneath' or 'below', and 'cover', which English took from Old French 'covrir' and ultimately from the Latin 'cooperire', meaning 'to cover over completely'. The figurative use of 'cover' for a disguise or concealing pretext was well established by the time the compound formed. 'Undercover' itself is a relatively modern coinage, appearing in the early twentieth century to describe secret or disguised activity, especially police and intelligence work. The image is straightforward: someone operating 'under' a 'cover', that is, beneath a concealing identity. Because both parts are familiar everyday words, the spelling rarely causes trouble; the only thing to watch is keeping it as one solid word rather than splitting it as 'under cover'.

How the word is built

• under- (beneath, hidden)
• cover (concealment, disguise)