undercover operation
10
5.0
- noun
- /ˌʌndərˈkʌvər ˌɑpəˈreɪʃən/
:
operación encubierta
- During the undercover operation, agents posed as buyers to gather evidence against the suspects.
- run an undercover operation
- launched an undercover operation
- part of an undercover operation
I'm I'm at the yard and an undercover operation is coming to fruition.
- I'm I'm at the yard and an undercover operation is coming to fruition.
- They, so they have their own ways of dealing with undercover operations and, and like filming undercover.
- So I got the first ever in in Amiga, the first crime undercover operation.
Examples
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It will be an undercover operation.
Fiction book (1998) -
After a long-term joint investigation of drug trafficking between the Atlanta area and the Dalton metro area, an undercover operation was set up by an agent of the GBI and drug detectives with the Dalton Police Department.
Blog text (23) -
We're gonna be the only international undercover operation approved so far.
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How long was this undercover operation of yours?
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So what are you thinking, it's some sort of undercover operation gone wrong?
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Can I talk to you, or are you in the middle of some kind of undercover operation?
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I'm with Criminal Intelligence and not obliged to carry a warrant card, this is an undercover operation.
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Adel Daoud, a U.S. citizen from the Chicago suburb of Hillside, was arrested Friday night in an undercover operation in which agents pretending to be extremists provided him with a phony car bomb.
Blog text (26) -
Narcotics detectives said Nemechek sold $175 worth of methamphetamine (3.1 grams) in an undercover operation on July 18 at his home, which is 670 feet from the Church of God on Placida Road.
Blog text (15) -
The police conducted an undercover operation to investigate the drug ring in the city.
Synonyms
67
6.3
A hidden trick to catch or cheat people often run by police
25
5.1
A secret police plan to trick people so they commit a crime and get arrested
23
5.7
A secret action by a government or army to avoid being noticed
17
5.5
A private job done secretly to gather information
11
4.9
Secret work where someone gathers information for the police or security
8
4.9
A secret activity by a government to gather information about an enemy or threat
3
5.8
A secret operation by soldiers or spies to gather information and carry out dangerous tasks
3
7.7
A secret activity planned and done to stay hidden, often by spies or soldiers
1
3.9
Actions to collect and study information about threats for military or security services
1
8.4
A secret action that hides who did it, often for political or military reasons
Antonyms
- Specialized
An activity by military or intelligence groups done openly, not secretly
How Covert
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituents contribute directly to the overall meaning: 'undercover' denotes secrecy/hidden identity and 'operation' denotes a planned activity, so a B1 learner who knows both words can compose them to mean a covert/planned activity. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'operación encubierta'), making the phrase immediately comprehensible rather than idiomatic or metaphorical.
Etymology
Undercover operation comes from the simple image of being under a cover, like someone hiding under a blanket or wearing a disguise so they are not seen. So an undercover operation is a 'secret' activity where agents hide their true identity to watch people and gather evidence.