underground: Meaning and Definition of

un•der•ground

Pronunciation: (adv.,un'dur-ground'adj., n., v.un'dur-ground&sec), [key]
— adv.
  1. beneath the surface of the ground: traveling underground by subway.
  2. in concealment or secrecy; not openly: subversion carried on underground.
—adj.
  1. existing, situated, operating, or taking place beneath the surface of the ground.
  2. used, or for use, underground.
  3. hidden or secret; not open: underground political activities.
  4. published or produced by political or social radicals or nonconformists: an underground newspaper.
  5. avant-garde; experimental: an underground movie.
  6. critical of or attacking the established society or system: underground opinion.
  7. of or for nonconformists; unusual: an underground vegetarian restaurant.
—n.
  1. the place or region beneath the surface of the ground.
  2. an underground space or passage.
  3. a secret organization fighting the established government or occupation forces: He fought in the French underground during the Nazi occupation of France.
  4. (often cap.) a movement or group existing outside the establishment and usually reflecting unorthodox, avant-garde, or radical views.
  5. a subway system.
—v.t.
  1. to place beneath the surface of the ground: to underground utility lines.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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