ENGLISH
REFERENCE

undercut

v.
C1 Advanced US //ˈəndɝˌkət// un·der·cut

v. to sell something at a lower price than your competitors. You can also use it to describe making someone's position or argument weaker.

v. to offer goods or services at a lower price than a competitor; by extension, to weaken or destabilise a person, position, or argument. Transitive — requires a direct object.


SIMPLE

The new supermarket tries to undercut the local shops.

CONTEXTUAL

By lowering their subscription fees, the startup managed to undercut the established market leaders and gain thousands of users.

COMPLEX

The witness's sudden admission of a prior friendship with the defendant served to undercut the prosecution's entire theory of a random, unprovoked attack.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English undercutten, equivalent to under- + cut.

Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object.

Pitfall

They undercutted the price.They undercut the price.The past tense and past participle of 'undercut' is 'undercut', not 'undercutted'.

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