Underdo

verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To do something insufficiently; especially, to undercook. transitive

    "Sorry to say, I've underdone the pot roast. I think we'd better put it back in the oven for a bit."

  2. 2
    To do something insufficiently; especially, to undercook.; To do less than is requisite. transitive

    "Near-synonyms: (of tasks) half-ass, shortchange, phone in"

  3. 3
    To do something insufficiently; especially, to undercook.; To act below one's abilities; do less than one can. intransitive, transitive, uncommon

    "Near-synonyms: underachieve, slack off"

  4. 4
    To put under, subject. obsolete, transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
half-assphone inshortchangeslack offunderachieve

Example

More examples

"Sorry to say, I've underdone the pot roast. I think we'd better put it back in the oven for a bit."

Etymology

From Middle English underdon, from Old English underdōn (“to put under”), from Proto-Germanic *under + *dōną (“to put”). Equivalent to under- + do. Cognate with German unterthun (“to put under, subject”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.