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underpass

American  
[uhn-der-pas, -pahs] / ˈʌn dərˌpæs, -ˌpɑs /

noun

  1. a passage running underneath, especially a passage for pedestrians or vehicles, or both, crossing under a railroad, road, etc.

underpass British  
/ ˈʌndəˌpɑːs /

noun

  1. a section of a road that passes under another road, railway line, etc

  2. another word for subway

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of underpass

First recorded in 1900–05; under- + pass

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Videos circulating on social media showed police vans escorting a bar association vehicle carrying Mazari to court before it was stopped at an underpass, where masked security officials prevented journalists from filming the arrest.

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

Local media reported that an underpass in the area was sealed off.

From BBC • Nov. 8, 2025

Eventually, they stopped the truck at a 10 Freeway underpass near Alameda and Newton streets and ditched the big rig.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2025

The suspects eventually abandoned the Silverado on Mission Road under the 101 Freeway underpass and escaped, officials said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2025

On that Saturday night I stood here, at the entrance to the underpass, and watched Anna getting into Tom’s car.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.