Definition of "underboss" []

• An assistant to a chief, especially in a crime syndicate. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The underboss is the person who actually runs the family."
• "Carmen "The Cheeseman" DiNunzio, the reputed former underboss of the New England mob, pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges and is serving a six-year federal prison sentence."
• "Mr. Franzese, who regularly took in performances by Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr ., has a long criminal history as an underboss in the Colombo crime family."