undermanned

adjective

un·​der·​manned ˌən-dər-ˈmand How to pronounce undermanned (audio)
: inadequately staffed

Examples of undermanned in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But, on the kind of day the Dodgers (29-16) typically have taxed their undermanned relief corps, the right-hander navigated six innings, filling up the bottom of the strike zone with low-90s fastballs, late-biting changeups and swing-and-miss cutters in a solid, bullpen-saving start. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024 Another strong contingent of fans in Dodger blue watched Tuesday for a second straight night as their team vanquished the home squad, whose good-luck threads still weren’t enough to overcome its undermanned and overmatched roster. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024 As usual, the Hornets have plenty of decisions to make during another crucial offseason, particularly on how to improve their bench depth so they aren’t so undermanned when dealing with injuries. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 3 May 2024 As currently constructed, their banged-up, undermanned pitching staff isn’t great. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024 The Warriors have lost too many games against undermanned teams. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024 The play came after another turnover, a string of mistakes increasingly maddening and propping open the door against the severely undermanned Timberwolves. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Facing continual Russian attacks, undermanned units could become increasingly hollowed out and lose the ability to defend themselves. Dara Massicot, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2024 The likelihood of a dazzling offensive display would be high, with the league's third- and fourth-ranked attacks looking like too much for either undermanned defense to handle. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'undermanned.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of undermanned was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near undermanned

Cite this Entry

“Undermanned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undermanned. Accessed 28 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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