undergo

un·der·go
U1N1D2E1R1G2O1
US/ˌʌndɚˈɡoʊ/UK/ˌʌndəˈɡəʊ/

verb

To experience; to pass through a phase.

“The victim underwent great trauma.”

CommonScrabble 9

Meanings

verbundergo (third-person singular simple present undergoes, present participle undergoing, simple past underwent, past participle undergone)

present singular third person undergoes · participle present undergoing · past underwent · participle past undergone

  1. transitiveTo experience; to pass through a phase.

    The project is undergoing great changes.

    2 more examples

    Many of these classic methods are still used, with some modern improvements. For example, with the aid of special microphones and automated sound detection software, ornithologists recently reported […] that pine siskins (Spinus pinus) undergo an irregular, nomadic type of nocturnal migration.

    2013 January 1, Paul Bartel, Ashli Moore, “Avian Migration: The Ultimate Red-Eye Flight”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 1, archived from the original on 05 Mar 2016, pages 47–48

    The women underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which measures changes in blood flow that happen with brain activity, while being shown images of their grandchild, another child they didn’t know, an adult they didn’t know, and the same-sex parent of their grandchild.

    2021 November 19, Madeline Holcombe, “Is your mom warmer with her grandkids than with you? A new study says blame biology”, in CNN

    Synonyms: go through, take, undercome, run, see, stand

  2. transitiveTo suffer or endure; bear with.

    The victim underwent great trauma.

    1 more example

    She had to undergo surgery because of her broken leg.

    Synonyms: brook, put up with, abear, abide, aby, accept, allow, bear

  3. obsoletetransitiveTo go or move under or beneath.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo experience; to pass through a phase.

Origin

  1. Old Englishundergān“to undergo, undermine, ruin”
  2. Middle Englishundergon
  3. Englishundergo

From Middle English undergon, from Old English undergān (“to undergo, undermine, ruin”), equivalent to under- + go. Cognate with Dutch ondergaan (“to undergo, perish, sink”), German untergehen (“to perish, sink, undergo”), Swedish undergå (“to undergo, go through”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek πάσχω, πάσχω
  • πάσχω (páskhō)to experience
  • πάσχω (páskhō)to suffer or endure
Bulgarian изпитвам, претърпявам
  • изпитвам (izpitvam)to experience
  • претърпявам (pretărpjavam)to experience
  • понасям (ponasjam)to suffer or endure
Catalan experimentar, patir
  • experimentarto experience
  • patirto experience
  • suportarto suffer or endure
Chinese Mandarin 經歷 /经历, 接受
  • 經歷 /经历 (jīnglì)to experience
  • 接受 (jiēshòu)to experience
  • 進行 /进行 (jìnxíng)to experience
  • 承受 (chénshòu)to suffer or endure
  • 忍受 (rěnshòu)to suffer or endure
  • 經受 /经受 (jīngshòu)to suffer or endure
  • 遭受 (zāoshòu)to suffer or endure
  • 接受 (jiēshòu)to suffer or endure
Czech podstoupit
  • podstoupitto suffer or endure
Danish gennomgå, gennomgå
  • gennomgåto experience
  • gennomgåto suffer or endure
Dutch ondergaan, ondergaan
  • ondergaanto experience
  • ondergaanto suffer or endure
Finnish läpikäydä
  • läpikäydäto experience
French subir, subir
  • subirto experience
  • subirto suffer or endure
German durchmachen
  • durchmachento experience
Hungarian megtapasztal, elvisel
  • megtapasztalto experience
  • elviselto suffer or endure
Italian soffrire, sottoporsi
  • soffrireto suffer or endure
  • sottoporsito suffer or endure
Latin patior, subeō
  • patiorto experience
  • subeōto experience
  • patiorto suffer or endure
  • subeoto suffer or endure
Māori ngahi
  • ngahito suffer or endure
Norwegian Bokmål gjennomgå, gjennomgå
  • gjennomgåto experience
  • gjennomgåto suffer or endure
Polish przechodzić, przejść
  • przechodzićto experience
  • przejśćto experience
  • doświadczaćto experience
  • doświadczyćto experience
  • przejśćto suffer or endure
  • przechodzićto suffer or endure
Portuguese passar por, experienciar
  • passar porto experience
  • experienciarto experience
  • sofrerto suffer or endure
Russian проходи́ть, подверга́ться
  • проходи́ть (proxodítʹ)to experience
  • подверга́ться (podvergátʹsja)to experience
  • испы́тывать (ispýtyvatʹ)to suffer or endure
  • переноси́ть (perenosítʹ)to suffer or endure
Spanish someterse a, ser sometido a
  • someterse ato experience
  • ser sometido ato experience
  • soportarto suffer or endure
  • padecerto suffer or endure
Swedish genomgå, genomgå
  • genomgåto experience
  • genomgåto suffer or endure
  • gå igenomto suffer or endure
  • undergåto suffer or endure

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with undergo

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

undergo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undergo

MLA

“undergo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undergo. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “undergo,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undergo.

Source: undergo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.