undercut
verb (undercuts, undercutting; past and past participle undercut) /ʌndəˈkʌt 
/ [with object]
/ [with object]1Offer goods or services at a lower price than (a competitor): these industries have been undercut by more efficient foreign producers...
- The company's low cost base allows it to undercut competitors, offer cheaper computers, better service and still have better margins.
- The difference is that in a competitive market place, plumbers and electricians can attempt to undercut their competitors by offering a cheaper service and thus attract more work.
- An ambitious kid could make decent headway if he was willing to smooth-talk lots of retailers and undercut his competitors.
Synonyms
charge less than, charge a lower price than, undersell, underbid
2Cut or wear away the part below or under (something, especially a cliff): the base of the crag is undercut permitting walkers to pass behind the falling water...
- Opposite the cottonwood, on the far bank, is a 40-foot undercut cliff that resembles the prow of a ship.
- Or maybe, because the meandering river had undercut the bank below their old ponderosa, Duke and Doreen sensed that the tree was no longer safe.
- Rock transmits sound fairly well and heavy foot vibrations, if the ledge you're stood on is undercut below you, can warn the fish and make them nervous for a while.
2.1Cut away material to leave (a carved design) in relief.The Romans created this sort of glass by undercutting a solid two-layered vase to produce relief decoration....
- Detailed work is undertaken with chisels and knives, and the layers are pared away, though undercutting for sharp detail will also be done with drills.
3Weaken; undermine: the chairman denied his authority was being undercut...
- In the meantime, we are undercutting his authority.
- Or do I withhold punishment or censure and in so doing undercut the teacher's authority?
- As a result, we avoid a process that undercuts the authority of and respect for the Supreme Court.
Synonyms
undermine, weaken, impair, damage, sap, threaten, subvert, sabotage, ruin, disrupt, undo, destabilize, demolish, wreck, destroy, chip away
4 Tennis Strike (a ball) with backspin so that it bounces high on landing.Frequent pop-ups are an indication he has been undercutting the ball.
noun /ˈʌndəkʌt /
/1A space formed by the removal or absence of material from the lower part of something: there may be some bigger fish in the safety of the undercut...
- Where land meets sea in the north, the power of the ocean has chiselled undercuts, caves and fissures into the limestone cliff.
- It gets better and better, the water cutting deeper into the curved and hollowed rock, with slabby undercuts and terraced waterfalls.
- Such materials can easily be peeled back in larger sections from the surface of the original model, while preserving the undercuts.
1.1North American A notch cut in a tree trunk to guide its fall when felled.
2British The underside of a sirloin of beef.
