under-the-table

adjective

Definition of under-the-tablenext
as in under-the-counter

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of under-the-table Zumba allegedly asked whether the spouse would be willing to issue real, but unauthorized, ID cards for an under-the-table payment. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 12 Feb. 2026 But while that under-the-table approach by Israel towards Hamas came crashing down with the October 7, 2023 attacks, concern still lingers in Ramallah, the headquarters of the PA , that the new technocratic committee could be another way to divide Palestinians by creating rival centers of power. — Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 18 Jan. 2026 In the meantime, many engage in under-the-table, unreliable work. — Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2025 The truth is, under the old system, plenty of elite players were there only for the under-the-table cash. — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for under-the-table
Recent Examples of Synonyms for under-the-table
  1. under-the-counter
  2. unauthorized
  3. unsanctioned
  4. illicit
  5. unlicensed
  6. unapproved
  7. criminal
  8. contraband
Adjective
  • Behind the bar, crammed into a small station barely wide enough for one person, were two rice cookers, a combination oven, an induction burner and an under-the-counter fridge.
    — Priya Krishna, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
  • By night, his father would lend him his binoculars to spy on women through their windows, filling in any gaps in his anatomical understanding with whatever under-the-counter girly magazines had managed to wiggle through Italy’s draconian censorship.
    — Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2024
Definition of under-the-counter
Adjective
  • Faced with a seemingly impossible challenge, a human might simply give up rather than resort to these kinds of unauthorized steps.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
  • OpenAI recently disclosed six cases of concerning model behavior, and Anthropic has also admitted its models gained unauthorized access to three organizations’ systems during testing.
    — Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of unauthorized
Adjective
  • Set early during the New Republic era, the game introduces the Galactic League, an unsanctioned racing circuit assembled by Darius Pax.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The company is drawing a line between sanctioned and unsanctioned sharing with outside safety groups at the same time the industry is, slowly, inviting those groups in.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of unsanctioned
Adjective
  • The Financial Action Task Force, the global money-laundering watchdog, has warned that criminals exploit citizenship and residency programs to conceal their identities, launder illicit wealth and evade justice.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Those illicit techniques include attaching a GPS tracker to a car or using cell-tower data to track a potential offender.
    — Rafael A. Mangual, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of illicit
Adjective
  • For relief, the Knicks seek a permanent injunction blocking the defendants from using Knicks trademarks and other intellectual property in connection with the unlicensed sale of goods.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Cops have arrested an unlicensed SUV operator who caused a chain-reaction crash that killed a 67-year-old man on a Brooklyn sidewalk, officials said Friday.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of unlicensed
Adjective
  • Over the past two months, companies including OpenAI and Anthropic disclosed multiple incidents in which their AI agents accessed the internet when they weren't supposed to and carried out unapproved activities.
    — Katie McQue, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Kratom has gained popularity as an unapproved treatment for pain, anxiety and drug dependence.
    — Josh Feldman, NBC news, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of unapproved
Adjective
  • Spanning multiple decades, the period procedural follows a legendary detective who, alongside his dedicated team, cracks complex criminal cases while chronicling the evolving apparatus of China’s public security forces.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Patterson said on his campaign website his priorities include pushing for local rather than state control, strengthening criminal accountability, securing funding for infrastructure and protecting homeowners from rising property tax rates.
    — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • Officers searched the restroom and found a package of contraband drugs, including K2, high-potency THC wax and suboxone strips.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • His current release date is scheduled for March 2028, a recent change after he was reportedly caught using a contraband cell phone to scroll on Instagram.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of contraband

Browse Nearby Words

under the influence
under-the-table
under the weather
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Under-the-table.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/under-the-table. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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