underhand

UK: /ˌʌndə^rˈhænd/ US: /ˈʌndɚˌhænd/ ,(un′dər hand′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

un•der•hand /ˈʌndɚˌhænd/   adj. 

1. not open and completely honest;
   secret and crafty:
   an underhand deal.
2. Sport thrown, aimed, or done with the hand below the level of the shoulder and the palm turned upward and forward:
   an underhand pitch.

adv. 

3. Sport with the hand below the level of the shoulder and the palm turned upward and forward:
   to throw underhand.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

un•der•hand  (un′dər hand′), adj. 

1. not open and aboveboard;
   secret and crafty or dishonorable:
   an underhand deal with the chief of police.
2. Sport executed with the hand below the level of the shoulder and the palm turned upward and forward:
   an underhand delivery of a ball.

adv. 

3. Sport with the hand below the level of the shoulder and the palm turned upward and forward:
   to bowl underhand.
4. secretly;
   stealthily;
   slyly.

• bef. 900; 1530–40 for def. 1; Middle English under hande (adverb, adverbial) under rule, Old English underhand. See under-, hand

Synonyms

• 1. stealthy, sly, clandestine, surreptitious.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

underhand / ˈʌndəˌhænd/ adjective
also: underhanded

1. clandestine, deceptive, or secretive
2. another word for underarm

adverb

1. in an underhand manner or style