underscore

From under- +‎ score.

• Noun:
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈʌn.dəˌskɔː(ɹ)/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈʌn.dɚˌskoɹ/

    • Audio (US):

      (file)

• Verb:
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌʌn.dəˈskɔː(ɹ)/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌʌn.dɚˈskɔɹ/

underscore (plural underscores)

1. A line drawn or printed beneath text; the character _.

   Synonyms: underline, low line

   • 2007, Richard D. Ondo, “Used Cars in West Virginia”, in A Third Cell in America: A Novel, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 15:

     He walks into the house and picks up a pen. The thought he has is a brilliant idea. He must write it down. Only two words need to be written. The underscore adds importance. / BOUNTY HUNTER

2. (music) A piece of background music.

underscore (third-person singular simple present underscores, present participle underscoring, simple past and past participle underscored)

1. (transitive) To underline; to mark a line beneath text.
   • 2011, Matt Aimonetti, MacRuby: The Definitive Guide: Ruby and Cocoa on OS X, page 14:

     By convention, Rubyists usually underscore their method names.

2. (transitive) To emphasize or draw attention to.

   I wish to underscore the importance of proper formatting.

   • 1986, Richard Bauman, Story, Performance, and Event: Contextual Studies of Oral Narrative:

     The tale thus underscores in expressive form the semiparadoxical fact that traders can lie by telling the truth.

• underbar
• undertie

Typography