1. the world of organized crime and criminals
2. in mythology and religion, the realm of the dead beneath the earth
Usage: mythology; religion

Examples

• The detective spent years investigating the city’s criminal underworlds.
• Police worked to infiltrate the drug underworlds operating in the neighborhood.
• Ancient Greek mythology described multiple underworlds ruled by different gods.
• The hero’s journey took him through various underworlds in search of his lost love.
• Organized crime families controlled separate underworlds in different parts of the city.
• Many cultures have stories about underworlds where spirits of the dead reside.