underscore

[ verb uhn-der-skawr, -skohr, uhn-der-skawr, -skohr; noun uhn-der-skawr, -skohr ]

/ verb ˈʌn dərˌskɔr, -ˌskoʊr, ˌʌn dərˈskɔr, -ˈskoʊr; noun ˈʌn dərˌskɔr, -ˌskoʊr /

to mark with a line or lines underneath; underline, as for emphasis.

to stress; emphasize: The recent tragedy underscores the danger of disregarding safety rules.

a line drawn beneath something written or printed.

music for a film soundtrack; background for a film or stage production.

Origin of underscore

First recorded in 1765–75; under- + score

To underscore the “shame,” street sweepers followed along behind the prisoners, cleaning the street.

Ukraine Parades for Independence Day Under Putin's Shadow |Anna Nemtsova |August 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
To underscore the point: The Constitution strongly protects us against theocrats who would pass religious precepts into law.

Gay Marriage Vs. the First Amendment |James Poulos |August 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
They underscore the extent to which our ideas of normality are tied closely to socioeconomic status.

Are Black Names ‘Weird,’ or Are You Just Racist? |Jamelle Bouie |September 13, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Of course, other elements had to be added in to underscore that concept, and it also became a mother-son movie.

Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn on Sex, Violence & More |Marlow Stern |July 17, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

The episodes are even referred to as “chapters” in an effort to underscore this comparison more deeply.

‘House of Cards’: Should You Binge-Watch Netflix’s Political Drama? |Jace Lacob |February 5, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
In the following sentences, underscore the complete verbs with one line, the incomplete with two lines.

Plain English |Marian Wharton
Our poets do not need to underscore words or to use heavy headlines and italics.

Modern Eloquence: Vol II, After-Dinner Speeches E-O |Various
Transcriber's Note: Italics are indicated by the underscore character.

Christie Johnstone |Charles Reade
As each question occurs to me, or is suggested by my reading, I underscore a word that henceforth stands for that question.

Sunday-School Success |Amos R. Wells
Additions to the text include adding the underscore character to indicate italics, and textual end-notes in square braces.

A Study In Scarlet |Arthur Conan Doyle

underscore

to draw or score a line or mark under

to stress or reinforce

a line drawn under written matter