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Glite Dictionary
to go underground

to go underground

22 7.4
To hide and work in secret to avoid arrest or attention
  • phrasal verb
  • /ɡoʊ ˌʌndərˈɡraʊnd/
translation icon : pasar a la clandestinidad
  • Various organizations choose to go underground when politically oppressed, seeking safety in secrecy.
  • forced to go underground
  • Many go underground
  • others go underground

The leaders went underground, they disappeared.

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Examples

  • In Guatemala during the 1980s, even a local health committee was forced to go underground because its activities were seen as subversive.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Under Mussolini's regime, they went underground and served as one of the bases for anti fascist partisan resistance.

  • The other two families had gone underground, and we were unable to find them.

    Academic text (1997)

  • If the protest movement is crushed, the fight will go underground, but it will not die.

    Blog text (32)

  • The most radical of these organizations has either gone underground or has been absorbed by other organizations during the last two years.

    Academic text (1994)

  • As a movement, Solidarity went underground, with many of its key spokespersons showing personal integrity during their time in prison.

    Academic text (1991)

  • In the following three decades, the Catalan language in Olot and throughout Catalonia went underground (Pallach 2000).

    Academic text (2003)

  • The activists decided to go underground to avoid government surveillance and continue their work peacefully.

  • After revealing the corruption, the journalist had to go underground to protect herself from retaliation.

Synonyms

to hide out
vsto go underground
  • Informal
76 5.6

To stay in a secret place to avoid danger or trouble

involves becoming secretive to operate covertly rather than only staying in one safe place
to slip under the radar
vsto go underground
  • Informal
1 6.3

To go unnoticed by people or officials

implies active secrecy and covert political activity rather than mere unnoticed presence
to go to earth
vsto go underground
  • Archaic
1 9.3

To hide from people to avoid trouble or attention

is used for secret actions to avoid attention and for covert political reasons

How Hidden

to go underground
22 7.4
to hide out
  • Informal
76 5.6
to lie low
  • Informal
14 5.6

Surface Forms

go underground infinitive
going underground present participle
goes underground third person singular
went underground past
gone underground past participle

Morphology

go + underground

The meaning is directly built from 'go' (become/move) + 'underground' (hidden/clandestine), so a learner who knows both words can infer 'to become hidden or operate secretly.' This compositional pattern (go + adjective/adverb meaning 'become X') is common cross‑linguistically, making the expression immediately accessible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Go underground may come from the picture of people going below the ground into cellars or tunnels to hide from the police or enemies. That's why it now means 'to become secret or hidden', usually to avoid attention or arrest.