Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Underline

Unˊder-line′

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To mark a line below, as words; to underscore.
2.
To influence secretly.
[Obs.]
Sir H. Wotton.

Webster 1828 Edition


Underline

UNDERLI'NE

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To mark with a line below the words; sometimes called scoring.
2.
To influence secretly. [Not used.]

Definition 2024


underline

underline

English

Noun

underline (plural underlines)

  1. A line placed underneath a piece of text in order to provide emphasis or (in electronic documents) to indicate that it should be viewed in italics or that it acts as a hyperlink.
  2. The character _.

Translations

Verb

underline (third-person singular simple present underlines, present participle underlining, simple past and past participle underlined)

  1. To draw a line underneath something, especially to add emphasis; to underscore
  2. (figuratively) To emphasise or stress something
    • 2011 December 10, Marc Higginson, “Bolton 1 - 2 Aston Villa”, in BBC Sport:
      The Midlanders will hope the victory will kickstart a campaign that looked to have hit the buffers, but the sense of trepidation enveloping the Reebok Stadium heading into the new year underlines the seriousness of the predicament facing Owen Coyle's men.
  3. (figuratively, obsolete) To influence secretly.
    • Sir Henry Wotton
      By mere chance in appearance, though underlined with a providence, they had a full light of the infanta.

Translations

Adjective

underline (not comparable)

  1. Passing under a railway line.
    • 1950, Leonora Fry, C. W. Huxtable, Get to know: British railways (page 26)
      Just as it was sometimes necessary to lower the road to take it beneath an underline bridge, so in this case it might be necessary to raise it.

See also

Typography


Portuguese

Noun

underline m (plural underlines)

  1. underscore (name of the character _)

Quotations

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:underline.