Library / English Dictionary

UNDERSCORE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)

Synonyms:

underline; underscore

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("underscore" is a kind of...):

stroke (a mark made on a surface by a pen, pencil, or paintbrush)

Derivation:

underscore (draw a line or lines underneath to call attention to)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Draw a line or lines underneath to call attention to

Synonyms:

underline; underscore

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "underscore" is one way to...):

mark (make or leave a mark on)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

underscore (a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Give extra weight to (a communication)

Example:

Her gesture emphasized her words

Synonyms:

emphasise; emphasize; underline; underscore

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "underscore" is one way to...):

accent; accentuate; emphasise; emphasize; punctuate; stress (to stress, single out as important)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Credits

 Context examples: 

Most deaths due to unintentional injury were found to be due to overdose — 72% in the self-harm group and 61% in the ideation group — underscoring the overlap between suicide and overdose risk.

(Emergency department study reveals patterns of patients at increased risk for suicide, National Institutes of Health)

“Although addiction is a brain disease, this discovery underscores how the body’s complex functions are exquisitely interconnected, revealing the need for integrated and innovative research.”

(Nicotine addiction linked to diabetes through a DNA-regulating gene in animal models, National Institutes of Health)

Although antiviral medications can help shorten outbreaks, the virus persists in the body and can reactivate, which underscores the need for new treatment approaches.

(Glutamine suppresses herpes in mice and guinea pigs, National Institutes of Health)

This study underscores the extent of unknown microbial diversity even in well-studied areas, and the flexibility and importance of host-microbe associations in different habitats, says Simon Malcomber, a program director in NSF's Division of Environmental Biology.

(Microbe diversity is key to healthy coastal ecosystems, National Science Foundation)

Jo hardly knew her own MS. again, so crumpled and underscored were its pages and paragraphs, but feeling as a tender parent might on being asked to cut off her baby's legs in order that it might fit into a new cradle, she looked at the marked passages and was surprised to find that all the moral reflections—which she had carefully put in as ballast for much romance—had been stricken out.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Prof Pillai added: Given the problems of obesity and illnesses directly linked to unhealthy eating habits, the direct effect of nutrition involvement on dietary behaviours demonstrated in this study underscores the importance of investing in efforts to promote nutrition involvement from a public health policy perspective.

(People with Positive Attitude More Likely to Eat Healthily, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

This eclipse will also underscore the theme of health for you.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The new moon of November 26 will emphasize your second house of income too, and will also underscore your popularity in the marketplace.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)