underthrow
verb
un·der·throw
ˈən-dər-ˌthrō 
underthrew; underthrowing; underthrows
: to throw (a ball or pass) short of the intended receiver in football
also
: to throw a pass short of
underthrow a receiver
Examples of underthrow in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the fourth quarter, Brandon Graham forced Rush to underthrow a wide-open Lamb, resulting in his third interception.
—
Dallas News, 16 Oct. 2022
Watch teams that try deep shots each weekend and overthrow or underthrow them.
—Doug Lesmerises, cleveland, 1 Nov. 2020
Lewerke opened the Spartans’ first possession in the third quarter by underthrowing Cody White for what would’ve been a long gain.
—Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, 16 Nov. 2019
Tyler Huntley aims deeps but underthrows his receiver and throws into double coverage and Brady Brreze intercepts him in the end zone.
—oregonlive, 7 Dec. 2019
Mayfield threw awkwardly off his wrong foot, underthrowing an open receiver by a lot.
—BostonGlobe.com, 25 Oct. 2019
Those 50-50 balls, as coaches call them, are sometimes gambles, and better to sail them than to underthrow them for an interception.
—Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 7 Sep. 2019
While Trubisky has been underthrowing balls downfield in recent weeks, this was on the money and beyond Slay.
—Brad Biggs, chicagotribune.com, 11 Nov. 2019
Then the other Drew reared his head, badly underthrowing Troy Brown.
—Steve Kornacki, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Apr. 2018
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.
Dallas News, 16 Oct. 2022
Watch teams that try deep shots each weekend and overthrow or underthrow them.
—Doug Lesmerises, cleveland, 1 Nov. 2020
Lewerke opened the Spartans’ first possession in the third quarter by underthrowing Cody White for what would’ve been a long gain.
—Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, 16 Nov. 2019
Tyler Huntley aims deeps but underthrows his receiver and throws into double coverage and Brady Brreze intercepts him in the end zone.
—oregonlive, 7 Dec. 2019
Mayfield threw awkwardly off his wrong foot, underthrowing an open receiver by a lot.
—BostonGlobe.com, 25 Oct. 2019
Those 50-50 balls, as coaches call them, are sometimes gambles, and better to sail them than to underthrow them for an interception.
—Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 7 Sep. 2019
While Trubisky has been underthrowing balls downfield in recent weeks, this was on the money and beyond Slay.
—Brad Biggs, chicagotribune.com, 11 Nov. 2019
Then the other Drew reared his head, badly underthrowing Troy Brown.
—Steve Kornacki, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Apr. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Underthrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underthrow. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
underthrow
verb
un·der·throw
-ˌthrō
: to throw (a ball or pass) short of the intended receiver in football
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share