under-the-table

adjective

un·​der-the-ta·​ble ˈən-dər-ṯẖə-ˈtā-bəl How to pronounce under-the-table (audio)
: covert and usually unlawful
under-the-table payoffs

Examples of under-the-table in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Making tips explicitly tax free will help with this, and will also remove the stigma that has been associated with tips as under-the-table income. Joe Moglia, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024 Fewer than 10% of Syrian adults have work permits, with the rest being limited to informal, under-the-table jobs. Scott McLean, CNN, 24 July 2024 In 2018, after media accounts revealed one such donor’s under-the-table contributions to an Australian senator—who then provided countersurveillance advice to the Chinese donor—the senator was forced to resign his seat. Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2020 In February 2023, the team was investigated for allegedly circumventing the WNBA’s salary cap rules for offering under-the-table payments to players. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 20 May 2024 While migrants wait, many rely on public resources or take low-paying and unreliable, under-the-table gigs. Hillary Chura, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Jan. 2024 The most common job for these children is under-the-table work in roofing and construction, according to teachers, social workers, labor organizers and federal investigators. Hannah Dreier, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2023 In contrast, a home office makes the window for such under-the-table information exchanges elusive. Gleb Tsipursky, Fortune, 18 July 2023 First, the elephant in the room: Yes, some of these shops are doing a fantastic business in under-the-table or dubiously legal cannabis, especially in places where new laws have reduced penalties for unlicensed sales or created some legal confusion over exactly what merchants are allowed to carry. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 22 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of under-the-table was in 1948

Dictionary Entries Near under-the-table

Cite this Entry

“Under-the-table.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/under-the-table. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on under-the-table

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!