on the surface
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The hills, glittering with celebrity, seemed to symbolize a culture and people that existed largely on the surface.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
These receptors sit on the surface of cells and help them respond to signals from their surroundings.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
Each targets the same protein, called CD19, found on the surface of certain immune cells, in hopes of destroying the faulty cells driving the disease and giving the immune system a fresh start.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Peatlands have proved problematic for wildfires because the fire can spread through the peat, deep underground as well as on the surface.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
She tapped her purple gel pen on the surface and waited for him to speak.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
