underpass

noun

un·​der·​pass ˈən-dər-ˌpas 

: a crossing of a highway and another way (such as a road or railroad) at different levels

also : the lower level of such a crossing

Examples of underpass in a Sentence

We stood on the bridge and looked down at the underpass.

Recent Examples on the Web

Planners for the project provided The Star with renderings of how the roadway may look sitting deeper in the ground and how certain intersections could be removed from the higher-traffic highway through over and underpasses. —Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026

The crossing there is in a high-traffic area near downtown Vista with little room for an overpass or underpass. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026

In the wake of the 2007 settlement, tents began to appear on the sidewalks, freeway embankments, overpasses, underpasses, civic plazas and public spaces everywhere in Los Angeles. —Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026

This incident comes just days after two out-of-state men were arrested for spray-painting antisemitic graffiti and swastikas on residential fences, an underpass and near businesses in Sterling Heights. —Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for underpass

• candlemas
• fiberglass
• fibreglass
• hourglass
• isinglass
• lemongrass
• martinmas
• orchardgrass
• overpass
• plexiglas
• plexiglass
• sassafras

Kids Definition

underpass

noun

un·​der·​pass -ˌpas 

: a passage underneath something (as for a road passing under another road)