below

American  

[bih-loh] / bɪˈloʊ /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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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

Synonym Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of below

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

Explanation

Something that's below is underneath. If your kite is flying below your brother's, it means his kite is above, or higher than, yours. Anything that lies lower than some other object is below it — a basement is below the first floor of a house, and the ocean floor is below the water's surface. Below can also describe something that ranks lower: "My dad said if I get below a 90 on the math test, I can't go out this weekend." The word below was rarely used until the 16th century — most experts credit Shakespeare with making it a popular alternative to "beneath."

Example Sentences

More than two-fifths of those that responded to the survey following the announcement of the U.S.-Iran agreement expect transit through the strait to remain below pre-war levels the rest of this year and into 2027.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

The new study indicates that most people remain well below that level, even when following standard healthy eating recommendations such as the NHS Eatwell Guide.

From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2026

Conversely, periods where unemployment is a bigger issue than inflation have been associated with loosening monetary policy, as shown in the chart below.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 19, 2026

It trades at eight times forward price-to-earnings levels—20% below its past previous peak.

From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026

It had been a cold week—fifty-three below one night, forty-five below the next two, and never rising above twenty below with wild wind out of the northwest the whole time.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• down