below

[ bih-loh ]

adverb

1. in or toward a lower place:

   Look out below!

2. on, in, or toward a lower level, as a lower deck of a ship:

   The captain of the ship went below.

3. beneath the surface of the water:

   Divers were sent below to view the wreck.

4. on earth:

   the fate of creatures here below.

5. in hell or the infernal regions.
6. at a later point on a page or in a text: Compare above ( def 5 ).

   See the illustration below.

7. in a lower rank or grade:

   He was demoted to the class below.

8. under zero on the temperature scale:

   The temperature in Buffalo was ten below this morning.

9. Theater. downstage. Compare above ( def 8 ).
10. Zoology. on the lower or ventral side.

preposition

1. lower down than:

   below the knee.

2. lower in rank, degree, amount, rate, etc., than:

   below cost;

   below freezing.

3. too low or undignified to be worthy of; beneath:

   He considered such an action below his notice.

4. Theater. downstage of:

   There are two chairs below the table.

below

/ bɪˈləʊ /

preposition

1. at or to a position lower than; under
2. less than in quantity or degree
3. south of
4. downstream of
5. unworthy of; beneath

adverb

1. at or to a lower position or place
2. at a later place (in something written)

   see below

3. archaic.
   beneath heaven; on earth or in hell

Word History and Origins

Origin of below¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English bilooghe; equivalent to be- + low ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of below¹

C14: bilooghe , from bi by + looghe low ¹

Synonym Study

Below, under, beneath indicate position in some way lower than something else. Below implies being in a lower plane: below the horizon, the water line. Under implies being lower in a perpendicular line: The book is under the chair. Beneath may have a meaning similar to below, but more usually denotes being under so as to be covered, overhung, or overtopped: the pool beneath the falls.

Example Sentences

However, the Air Force is so strapped for people that the ratio has dropped below even that reduced level.

From The Daily Beast

Not quite, but at one point the temperature registered 29 below zero, with 21 inches of snow.

From The Daily Beast

When I saw the fire in the restaurant, I ran down to the floor below, where I was trapped between flames above and below.

From The Daily Beast

“Although major presses covered below news since last night, not many people is interested in their threat,” wrote Hwang.

From The Daily Beast

An IQ below 70 generally indicates someone with intellectual disability (ID).

From The Daily Beast

Before the spinet a bench was placed about four feet below the keys, and I was put upon the bench.

From Project Gutenberg

I have drawn a Line between the figures at the extream changes, that next below the Line is the extream.

From Project Gutenberg

The left heel followed like lightning, and the right paw also slipped, letting the bear again fall heavily on the ice below.

From Project Gutenberg

While the door was open he caught a glimpse of the street outside—and of Glavis on the sidewalk below.

From Project Gutenberg

After looking for them in vain down below he had feared that they might have found their way into the open air.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• down