您可以使用typeof，如下所示：

if (typeof something != "undefined") {
    // ...
}

说明各种答案结果的一些场景：http://jsfiddle.net/drzaus/UVjM4/

（请注意，在测试中使用var会在作用域包装器中产生差异）

参考代码：

(function(undefined) {
    var definedButNotInitialized;
    definedAndInitialized = 3;
    someObject = {
        firstProp: "1"
        , secondProp: false
        // , undefinedProp not defined
    }
    // var notDefined;

    var tests = [
        'definedButNotInitialized in window',
        'definedAndInitialized in window',
        'someObject.firstProp in window',
        'someObject.secondProp in window',
        'someObject.undefinedProp in window',
        'notDefined in window',

        '"definedButNotInitialized" in window',
        '"definedAndInitialized" in window',
        '"someObject.firstProp" in window',
        '"someObject.secondProp" in window',
        '"someObject.undefinedProp" in window',
        '"notDefined" in window',

        'typeof definedButNotInitialized == "undefined"',
        'typeof definedButNotInitialized === typeof undefined',
        'definedButNotInitialized === undefined',
        '! definedButNotInitialized',
        '!! definedButNotInitialized',

        'typeof definedAndInitialized == "undefined"',
        'typeof definedAndInitialized === typeof undefined',
        'definedAndInitialized === undefined',
        '! definedAndInitialized',
        '!! definedAndInitialized',

        'typeof someObject.firstProp == "undefined"',
        'typeof someObject.firstProp === typeof undefined',
        'someObject.firstProp === undefined',
        '! someObject.firstProp',
        '!! someObject.firstProp',

        'typeof someObject.secondProp == "undefined"',
        'typeof someObject.secondProp === typeof undefined',
        'someObject.secondProp === undefined',
        '! someObject.secondProp',
        '!! someObject.secondProp',

        'typeof someObject.undefinedProp == "undefined"',
        'typeof someObject.undefinedProp === typeof undefined',
        'someObject.undefinedProp === undefined',
        '! someObject.undefinedProp',
        '!! someObject.undefinedProp',

        'typeof notDefined == "undefined"',
        'typeof notDefined === typeof undefined',
        'notDefined === undefined',
        '! notDefined',
        '!! notDefined'
    ];

    var output = document.getElementById('results');
    var result = '';
    for(var t in tests) {
        if( !tests.hasOwnProperty(t) ) continue; // bleh

        try {
            result = eval(tests[t]);
        } catch(ex) {
            result = 'Exception--' + ex;
        }
        console.log(tests[t], result);
        output.innerHTML += "\n" + tests[t] + ": " + result;
    }
})();

结果：

definedButNotInitialized in window: true
definedAndInitialized in window: false
someObject.firstProp in window: false
someObject.secondProp in window: false
someObject.undefinedProp in window: true
notDefined in window: Exception--ReferenceError: notDefined is not defined
"definedButNotInitialized" in window: false
"definedAndInitialized" in window: true
"someObject.firstProp" in window: false
"someObject.secondProp" in window: false
"someObject.undefinedProp" in window: false
"notDefined" in window: false
typeof definedButNotInitialized == "undefined": true
typeof definedButNotInitialized === typeof undefined: true
definedButNotInitialized === undefined: true
! definedButNotInitialized: true
!! definedButNotInitialized: false
typeof definedAndInitialized == "undefined": false
typeof definedAndInitialized === typeof undefined: false
definedAndInitialized === undefined: false
! definedAndInitialized: false
!! definedAndInitialized: true
typeof someObject.firstProp == "undefined": false
typeof someObject.firstProp === typeof undefined: false
someObject.firstProp === undefined: false
! someObject.firstProp: false
!! someObject.firstProp: true
typeof someObject.secondProp == "undefined": false
typeof someObject.secondProp === typeof undefined: false
someObject.secondProp === undefined: false
! someObject.secondProp: true
!! someObject.secondProp: false
typeof someObject.undefinedProp == "undefined": true
typeof someObject.undefinedProp === typeof undefined: true
someObject.undefinedProp === undefined: true
! someObject.undefinedProp: true
!! someObject.undefinedProp: false
typeof notDefined == "undefined": true
typeof notDefined === typeof undefined: true
notDefined === undefined: Exception--ReferenceError: notDefined is not defined
! notDefined: Exception--ReferenceError: notDefined is not defined
!! notDefined: Exception--ReferenceError: notDefined is not defined

由于其他答案对我都没有帮助，我建议这样做。它在Internet Explorer 8中对我有效：

if (typeof variable_name.value === 'undefined') {
    // variable_name is undefined
}

我知道检查undefined最可靠的方法是使用void 0。

这与较新和较旧的浏览器都兼容，并且不能像window那样被覆盖。在某些情况下，未定义的浏览器可以被覆盖。

if( myVar === void 0){
    //yup it's undefined
}

如果您有兴趣了解变量是否已声明，而不管其值如何，那么使用in运算符是最安全的方法。考虑以下示例：

// global scope
var theFu; // theFu has been declared, but its value is undefined
typeof theFu; // "undefined"

但在某些情况下，这可能不是预期的结果，因为变量或属性已声明，但尚未初始化。使用in运算符进行更稳健的检查。

"theFu" in window; // true
"theFoo" in window; // false

如果您想知道变量是否尚未声明或值未定义，请使用typeof运算符，它保证返回字符串：

if (typeof myVar !== 'undefined')

与undefined的直接比较很麻烦，因为undefineed可以被覆盖。

window.undefined = "foo";
"foo" == undefined // true

正如@CMS所指出的，这已经在ECMAScript第5版中修补，undefined是不可写的。

if（window.myVar）也将包含这些虚假值，因此它不是很健壮：

false
0
""
NaN
null
undefined

感谢@CMS指出您的第三种情况-if（myVariable）在两种情况下也会抛出错误。第一种情况是尚未定义引发ReferenceError的变量。

// abc was never declared.
if (abc) {
    // ReferenceError: abc is not defined
} 

另一种情况是定义了变量，但有一个getter函数，在调用时抛出错误。例如

// or it's a property that can throw an error
Object.defineProperty(window, "myVariable", { 
    get: function() { throw new Error("W00t?"); }, 
    set: undefined 
});
if (myVariable) {
    // Error: W00t?
}

if (typeof foo == 'undefined') {
 // Do something
};

注意，在这种情况下不需要严格比较（！==），因为typeof将始终返回字符串。