Dictionary Workbench Ondict
Word Bank Import Dict Cloud Sync

    undercover

    Dictionary entry view. Switch to definition mode above when you know the meaning but not the word.

    undercover
    un‧der‧cov‧er /ˌʌndəˈkʌvə◂ $ -dərˈkʌvər◂/ adjective [only before noun]
     Word Family: noun: cover, coverage, covering; adjective: undercover, covered ≠ UNCOVERED; verb: cover ≠ uncover; adverb: undercover
    undercover work is done secretly by the police in order to catch criminals or find out information:
        an undercover investigation
        undercover policeman/cop/agent etc
        undercover detectives
    —undercover adverb:
        a cop who goes undercover to catch drug dealers
        He worked undercover in Germany and Northern Ireland.
         
    THESAURUS
       ▪ secret known about by only a few people, who have agreed not to tell anyone else: a secret meeting place | The details of the proposal must remain secret.
       ▪ confidential used about information, especially in business or government, that is secret and not intended to be shown or told to other people: a highly confidential report | Employees’ personal details are treated as strictly confidential.
       ▪ classified used about information that the government has ordered to be kept secret from most people: He was accused of passing on classified information to the Russians in the 1950s.
       ▪ sensitive used about information that is kept secret because there would be problems if the wrong people knew it: A teenager managed to hack into sensitive US Air Force files.
       ▪ covert [only before noun] used about things that are done secretly, especially by a government or official organization: a CIA covert operation
       ▪ undercover [usually before noun] used about things that are done secretly by the police in order to catch criminals or find out information: Detectives arrested the suspect after a five-day undercover operation.
       ▪ underground an underground organization or newspaper is one that operates or is produced secretly and opposes the government: Her father was a member of the underground resistance movement in France during World War II.
       ▪ clandestine /klænˈdestən, klænˈdestɪn/ secret and often illegal or immoral: clandestine meetings | his involvement in a clandestine operation to sell arms to Iran | a clandestine love affair
       ▪ hush-hush informal used about information or activities that are kept officially secret: He was put in charge of some hush-hush military project. | I’ve no idea what he does – it’s all very hush-hush.