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.

   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.

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

As a result, slowly tumbling asteroids change their spin very slowly, and become stuck in the slow-rotation zone below the gap in the observational data from Gaia.

From Science Daily

It’s a Western League showdown featuring Venice’s stingy defense against a Palisades offense that hasn’t been held below 35 points this season.

From Los Angeles Times

Thanks to the high ceilings and a new skylight, the attic now floods the center of the living room below with natural light.

From Los Angeles Times

Her party performed badly at the local elections earlier this year and the Conservatives have sunk far below Reform UK and Labour in the polls since.

From BBC

California — with reading scores below the national average — is the 40th state to mandate such a screening.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• down