belowground

American  

[bih-loh-ground] / bɪˈloʊˌgraʊnd /

adjective

1. situated beneath the surface of the earth; subterranean.

2. no longer living; buried, as in a cemetery (usually used predicatively).

   All those who might have known about the incident are now belowground.

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Etymology

Origin of belowground

First recorded in 1955–60; below + ground ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

belowground

"The dissertation work was making the geologic connection between what we might see at the surface versus what we might see hundreds or thousands of feet belowground," Sankey said.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 2, 2026

More poetically, research has hinted that these connections—known as mycorrhizal networks—can extend between trees, enabling one tree to transfer resources belowground to another.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 13, 2023

In other words, protecting just the richest aboveground ecosystems might fail to safeguard the full diversity of belowground life.

From Science Magazine ● Jul. 6, 2022

One of the problems is that it's easier to estimate how much carbon is stored aboveground, in towering trees, than belowground, where plants store carbon in their roots.

From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2022

Mulch’s beard and head hair were actually a matrix of antennae that helped him to navigate and avoid danger belowground.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer