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
Perhaps Rose was a decoy wife, so people in the Vault didn’t catch on to whatever mysterious plans Hank and Stephanie had for their underlings.
—
Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Feb. 2026
If Walden decides to elevate one of her underlings to co-chair of Disney Entertainment, there are several strong contenders from which to choose.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
In nondemocratic regimes, senior officials wall themselves off from reality because their underlings are afraid to deliver bad news.
—Donald Moynihan, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
Federal prosecutors say Katzin ran a ring of drug dealers who peddled fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin to customers throughout the city and Sklar was one of her underlings.
—Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
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.
Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Feb. 2026
If Walden decides to elevate one of her underlings to co-chair of Disney Entertainment, there are several strong contenders from which to choose.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
In nondemocratic regimes, senior officials wall themselves off from reality because their underlings are afraid to deliver bad news.
—Donald Moynihan, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
Federal prosecutors say Katzin ran a ring of drug dealers who peddled fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin to customers throughout the city and Sklar was one of her underlings.
—Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for underling
Cite this Entry
“Underling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underling. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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
