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Synonyms

on the surface

Idioms  

  1. Superficially, to all outward appearances, as in On the surface he appeared brave and patriotic, but his troops knew better. [Early 1700s]

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.

Titan -- shrouded by a hazy atmosphere -- stands out as the only place besides Earth where liquid is known to exist on the surface.

From Science Daily

On the surface, demand for enterprise software looks strong.

From Barron's

On the surface, unions appear poised for a renaissance.

From The Wall Street Journal

Using, for example, a laser or other light source, it is possible to create electrodes in intricate patterns directly on the surface.

From Science Daily

The team found that several aptamers attached to a variant of a protein called fibronectin on the surface of mouse cells.

From Science Daily

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.