undercount

[ verb uhn-der-kount; noun uhn-der-kount ]

verb (used with object)

1. to count less than the full number or amount of:

   The mayor claimed the census had undercounted the city's population.

noun

1. a count or total that is less than the actual number or amount.

Word History and Origins

Origin of undercount¹

First recorded in 1950–55; under- + count ¹

Example Sentences

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has flagged undercounts in the official unemployment rate before.

From Washington Post

Still, the reports probably represent a dramatic undercount because it takes time and initiative for busy employees to file them.

From Washington Post

“That number is a vast undercount,” said Homer Venters, the former chief medical officer at New York’s Rikers Island jail complex.

From Fortune

The report said the total is likely an undercount as some of those infected declined to share their close contacts with health officials.

From ProPublica

Researchers caution that this figure represents an undercount.

From ProPublica

Outside clearings do not undercount outside check deposits nearly to the extent that Professor Fisher assumes.

From Project Gutenberg

Do the figures that get into the "all other" deposits from those connected with the Stock Exchange undercount sales made there?

From Project Gutenberg