underlie
verb (used with object)
to lie under or beneath; be situated under.
had underlain
-
past perfectof underlie.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He felt what had underlain the words, and it was a hard blow to him.
From Mercy Philbrick's Choice by Helen Hunt Jackson
For choice as had been the tone of elegant culture which had underlain these social meetings heretofore, there was no doubt but that they gained in the element of gayety by being deferred to candle-light.
From For the Major A Novelette by Constance Fenimore Woolson
The sternness that had underlain the King's manner rose slowly and spread over the whole surface of his person, as he drew himself up in towering offence.
From The Ward of King Canute; a romance of the Danish conquest by Ottilie A. (Ottilia Adelina) Liljencrantz
Isobel had been less blunt in her methods, but a corrosive acid had underlain her gentle speech.
From The Moon out of Reach by Margaret Pedler
The quiet, inassailable knowledge of this truth had underlain Tanqueray's most irritable utterances.
From The Creators A Comedy by May Sinclair
