surface
Americannoun
-
surfaces
plural
-
the outer face, outside, or exterior boundary of a thing; outermost or uppermost layer or area.
-
any face of a body or thing.
the six surfaces of a cube.
-
extent or area of outer face; superficial area.
-
the outward appearance, especially as distinguished from the inner nature.
to look below the surface of a matter.
-
Geometry. any figure having only two dimensions; part or all of the boundary of a solid.
-
land or sea transportation, rather than air, underground, or undersea transportation.
-
Aeronautics. an airfoil.
adjective
-
of, on, or pertaining to the surface; external.
-
apparent rather than real; superficial.
to be guilty of surface judgments.
-
of, relating to, or via land or sea.
surface mail.
-
Linguistics. belonging to a late stage in the transformational derivation of a sentence; belonging to the surface structure.
verb (used with object)
-
surfaces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
surfaced,
past participle, past
-
surfacing
present participle
-
to finish the surface of; give a particular kind of surface to; make even or smooth.
-
to bring to the surface; cause to appear openly.
Depth charges surfaced the sub. So far we've surfaced no applicants.
verb (used without object)
-
surfaces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
surfaced,
past participle, past
-
surfacing
present participle
-
to rise to the surface.
The submarine surfaced after four days.
-
to work on or at the surface.
noun
-
-
the exterior face of an object or one such face
-
( as modifier )
surface gloss
-
-
-
the area or size of such a face
-
( as modifier )
surface measurements
-
-
material resembling such a face, with length and width but without depth
-
-
the superficial appearance as opposed to the real nature
-
( as modifier )
a surface resemblance
-
-
geometry
-
the complete boundary of a solid figure
-
a continuous two-dimensional configuration
-
-
-
the uppermost level of the land or sea
-
( as modifier )
surface transportation
-
-
to emerge; become apparent
-
to all appearances
verb
-
to rise or cause to rise to or as if to the surface (of water, etc)
-
(tr) to treat the surface of, as by polishing, smoothing, etc
-
(tr) to furnish with a surface
-
(intr) mining
-
to work at or near the ground surface
-
to wash surface ore deposits
-
-
(intr) to become apparent; emerge
-
informal (intr)
-
to wake up
-
to get up
-
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
surfacesimple
-
surfacessimple
-
have surfacedperfect
-
has surfacedperfect
-
am surfacingprogressive
-
are surfacingprogressive
-
is surfacingprogressive
-
have been surfacingperfect progressive
-
has been surfacingperfect progressive
Past
-
surfacedsimple
-
had surfacedperfect
-
was surfacingprogressive
-
were surfacingprogressive
-
had been surfacingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of surface
First recorded in 1605–15; from French; equivalent to sur- 1 + face; apparently modeled on Latin superficies superficies
Explanation
The surface is the outside of anything. The earth, a basketball, and even your body have a surface. A surface is the top layer of something. The surface of the moon is rocky, with a lot of craters, while the surface of the earth has a lot of water. Sandpaper has a rough surface; a balloon has a smooth but rubbery surface. When we use the word surface, it usually means there is a lot of stuff underneath. That applies to our use of surface to mean outward mood, as in "You look happy on the surface, but I know you're angry on the inside."
Vocabulary lists containing surface
Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Here, There, and Beyond"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Earth Science - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Below the surface of the water, species such as green-brown bladderwrack seaweed provide vital functions for other wildlife.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Being consumed by painful ideas is troubling; filling a stark white room with colorful stickers until they cover every single surface is not.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Hot weather increases plankton levels at the water's surface, drawing jellyfish up, experts say.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The eclipse will peak at 9:13 p.m., when 96% of the moon’s surface will fall under the Earth’s shadow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The gold arrows were now traveling along the clear surface and seeping into the open book, like invisible ink.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
It could easily be an elongated version of one of her later pumpkins, rendered both in two dimensions and as sculptures, whose vibrant flesh and spotted surfaces have charmed so many.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
It urged legal changes and funding to help municipalities and cities unseal paved surfaces that store heat and to plant vastly more trees.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
"Sliman specialised in working in mud and straw in very effective cracked surfaces, which reminded people of history and time and the rootedness of Palestine in the earth itself," Tamari said.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
That ambivalence about football surfaces in the novel, starting with agent Banks’ early assessment of the NFL’s possible involvement in an extortion plot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The mounts dutifully lowered themselves, speeding closer to the surfaces instead.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Rumblings of trouble surfaced in May—in Slate, no less.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
The same problem has surfaced on power grids, when grid-connected data centers suddenly drop power usage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
They said they were unaware of the company's difficulties until an investigative news story by the online magazine, The Cut, surfaced in September 2025.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The same statement had been used by the White House last month when questions about the aircraft's safety first surfaced.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
It became bright from the minute it surfaced from behind the clouds, its golden rays darkening my eyes.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
Trees and safety surfacing were also damaged and rubbish was left strewn across the site, with the cost of the damage estimated to run into thousands of pounds.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
This comes as old and new challenges are surfacing.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
Chunks of Trump’s beloved “American flag blue” paint job are surfacing.
From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2026
With those will come more damaging documents surfacing in discovery and even stronger cases for plaintiffs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
The only constant is my hair, which is always thick and straight, cut in such a way that if surfacing from a dive, my bangs would fall to my lower lip.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
