underling
noun
un·der·ling
ˈən-dər-liŋ 
: one who is under the orders of another : subordinate, inferior
Examples of underling in a Sentence
He takes all the credit, but most of the hard work is done by his underlings.
the real estate tycoon has a whole army of underlings to attend to the details
Recent Examples on the Web
Agents intercepted text messages in which Facey and Sanchez talked about using a private plane to spirit away an underling who had narrowly avoided arrest in Anchorage, prosecutors wrote in the bail motion.
—
Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
Also, Jimmy discovers while covering for Kayla on the set of her Lassie remake that Kayla is still terrorizing her underlings; very curious to see if/when that’s going to blow up in everyone’s faces.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 16 May 2025
In the mornings, some managers might even dispatch an underling to scout a location for picnicking later on and proceed to give that person part of the day off.
—Kholood Eid, New York Times, 2 May 2025
The 18-month program was like a scene out of The Bear, with abusive head chefs berating their underlings.
—John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underling
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.
Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
Also, Jimmy discovers while covering for Kayla on the set of her Lassie remake that Kayla is still terrorizing her underlings; very curious to see if/when that’s going to blow up in everyone’s faces.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 16 May 2025
In the mornings, some managers might even dispatch an underling to scout a location for picnicking later on and proceed to give that person part of the day off.
—Kholood Eid, New York Times, 2 May 2025
The 18-month program was like a scene out of The Bear, with abusive head chefs berating their underlings.
—John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underling
Cite this Entry
“Underling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underling. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
underling
noun
un·der·ling
ˈən-dər-liŋ
: one who is under the orders of another : subordinate
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share