Meaning & use
underarm
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounsport
Done with the arm moving upward from below the shoulder, as in a low throw or serve.
Grammar: Used before a noun: an underarm serve.
Patterns
- an underarm throw/serve
She gave the ball a gentle underarm throw.
He won the point with an underarm serve.
Bowling underarm is banned in most cricket matches.
adjectivebefore a noun
Located on or used for the body area beneath the arm.
Grammar: Used before a noun: underarm hair.
Patterns
- underarm hair
- underarm deodorant
He applied underarm deodorant.
The shirt had underarm stains.
She shaves her underarm hair.
nouncountable
The hollow area under the arm where it meets the shoulder.
Grammar: Often plural: both underarms.
Patterns
- wash your underarms
Wash your underarms every day.
Sweat soaked her underarms.
He felt a pain in his left underarm.
Word forms
| plural | underarms |
|---|
Common combinations
- underarm throw
- He made an underarm throw to first base.
- underarm serve
- The underarm serve surprised the opponent.
- underarm bowling
- Underarm bowling is rare in cricket.
- underarm deodorant
- She packed underarm deodorant.
- underarm sweat
- Underarm sweat marked his shirt.
Synonyms and how they differ
- underhand
- Underhand is the usual American word for the low-throw motion, while underarm is more British.
- armpit
- Armpit is the everyday word for the body area, plainer than underarm.
- axilla
- Axilla is the medical term for the armpit.
Opposites
Word family
- overarm adjective
- performed with the arm raised above the shoulder
- underhand adjective
- dishonest, or thrown from below the shoulder
- arm noun
- the limb from shoulder to hand
Commonly confused: underarm or underhand?
underarm vs underhand
Underhand also means sly and dishonest, which underarm never does.
Practice
To make a gentle toss to the toddler, she threw the ball ____.
Choose one answer.
Underarm means a low swing from below the shoulder, good for gentle tosses. Overarm is a hard throw.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “underarm”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.