Undercut Meaning
/ˈʌndə(ɹ)kʌt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA cut made in the lower part of something; the material so removed.
nounThe notch cut in a tree to direct its fall when being felled.
Sentence Examples
These challenges could undercut efforts by many African countries to increase agricultural production.
I got my pronouns shaved into my undercut and dyed my hair blue.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The new store tried to ____ its competitor by lowering all prices.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The company was accused of trying to ____ its rivals by selling its products at a much lower price this year today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English undercutten, equivalent to under- + cut.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Maybe it’s true that “the Left can’t meme,” if “the Left” refers to the earnest suburban revolutionary with an undercut and a nose ring who typically stalks your replies on X."
— 2024 June 18, Spencer Klavan, “A Matter of Taste”, in The American Mind:
"The fact that, to cover low tariffs on bulk commodities, the railways have to charge very high rates on high-value goods, such as manufactures, has provided road operators with a golden opportunity to undercut the railway."
— 1959 November, J. N. Westwood, “The Railways of Canada”, in Trains Illustrated, page 555:
"Though Bane’s sing-song voice gives his pronouncements a funny lilt, he doesn’t have any of the Joker’s deranged wit, and Nolan isn’t interested in undercutting his seriousness for the sake of a breezier entertainment."
— 2012 July 18, Scott Tobias, “The Dark Knight Rises”, in AV Club:
"This was a very generous way of describing the swarm of cables, kit-bashed thaumatic cores, Noogenic foci and para-technological inverters, all surrounded by an astoundingly complex cognitohazardous sigil and multiple ontological anchors. This, simultaneously, simplified the interdisciplinary effort that had swelled in a miniscule amount of time, and undercut the sheer conceptual impact this could leave in all of their respective fields."
— 2025 February 4, Queerious, “Don't Let Them Forget”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 28 Feb 2025:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The new store tried to ____ its competitor by lowering all prices.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The company was accused of trying to ____ its rivals by selling its products at a much lower price this year today.