surface

American  

[sur-fis] / ˈsɜr fɪs /

noun

• surfaces
  plural

1. the outer face, outside, or exterior boundary of a thing; outermost or uppermost layer or area.

2. any face of a body or thing.

   the six surfaces of a cube.

3. extent or area of outer face; superficial area.

4. the outward appearance, especially as distinguished from the inner nature.

   to look below the surface of a matter.

5. Geometry. any figure having only two dimensions; part or all of the boundary of a solid.

6. land or sea transportation, rather than air, underground, or undersea transportation.

7. Aeronautics. an airfoil.

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adjective

1. of, on, or pertaining to the surface; external.

2. apparent rather than real; superficial.

   to be guilty of surface judgments.

3. of, relating to, or via land or sea.

   surface mail.

4. 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

1. to finish the surface of; give a particular kind of surface to; make even or smooth.

2. 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

1. to rise to the surface.

   The submarine surfaced after four days.

2. to work on or at the surface.

surface British  

/ ˈsɜːfɪs /

noun

1. 1. the exterior face of an object or one such face

   2. ( as modifier )

      surface gloss

2. 1. the area or size of such a face

   2. ( as modifier )

      surface measurements

3. material resembling such a face, with length and width but without depth

4. 1. the superficial appearance as opposed to the real nature

   2. ( as modifier )

      a surface resemblance

5. geometry

   1. the complete boundary of a solid figure

   2. a continuous two-dimensional configuration

6. 1. the uppermost level of the land or sea

   2. ( as modifier )

      surface transportation

7. to emerge; become apparent

8. to all appearances

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verb

1. to rise or cause to rise to or as if to the surface (of water, etc)

2. (tr) to treat the surface of, as by polishing, smoothing, etc

3. (tr) to furnish with a surface

4. (intr) mining

   1. to work at or near the ground surface

   2. to wash surface ore deposits

5. (intr) to become apparent; emerge

6. informal (intr)

   1. to wake up

   2. to get up

surface Idioms  

1. see on the surface; scratch the surface.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsurface
  noun
• surfacer
  noun
• surfaceless
  adjective
• unsurfaced
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• surfaces
  plural

Participles

• surfacing
  present
• surfaced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• surface
  simple
• surfaces
  simple
• have surfaced
  perfect
• has surfaced
  perfect
• am surfacing
  progressive
• are surfacing
  progressive
• is surfacing
  progressive
• have been surfacing
  perfect progressive
• has been surfacing
  perfect progressive

Past

• surfaced
  simple
• had surfaced
  perfect
• was surfacing
  progressive
• were surfacing
  progressive
• had been surfacing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will surface
  simple
• will have surfaced
  perfect
• will be surfacing
  progressive
• will have been surfacing
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

surface surfaces surfaced surfacing

Gethings was at the Space Center in Houston, Texas, when the astronauts on the moon's surface spoke directly to the group of students before collecting a moon rock from the surface.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Vulnerable accessories linked into a network are among hackers’ prime targets, expanding what technicians call the attack surface.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

That escaping gas could create a comet-like tail, with some of the material forming a disk around the white dwarf before falling onto its surface.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026

El Nino, which occurs approximately every two to seven years, raises surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean and causes global changes in winds and rainfall.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

The pressure left Jonathan’s chest and Moose’s head popped above the surface a few feet from Jonathan’s face.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Its kitchen featured molded surfaces and electric appliances.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Planning an explicit window for questions surfaces disagreements while parents can still respond to them directly, rather than leaving them to surface for the first time at a reading of the will.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Duckett, in contrast, averages 23.4 on surfaces deemed as 'high bouncing' since the start of 2023.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The problem surfaces when pilots alter their preprogrammed flight plan following a missed approach, according to Boeing.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

The stone banisters on the outside stairways were chipped, their surfaces blotched with dirt, and the edges of the stone steps were round and smooth from years of use.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Hilton points out, correctly, it was a New York Times investigation that surfaced the controversy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Back to the present, the AI trade still has plenty of momentum, but early signs of nervousness have surfaced.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

That idea — that a chef’s point of view comes from the entirety of a life, rather than one neatly defined culinary tradition — surfaced again during a panel about travel and where chefs eat.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

Yet diesel’s rise hasn’t fully surfaced in grocery-store aisles — so far at least.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

The first signs of trouble surfaced in interactions between the refugees and the Clarkston Police Department in the late 1990s.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

Following the video surfacing, Galliano apologized, went to rehab, and, over the last few years, experienced a brand resurgence that some would call a whitewashing.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 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

By making the president an omnipresent figure, White House advisers are surfacing both vigor and flubs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

The wine was steaming and bubbling, and it came to Tristran then—the information surfacing from some long-forgotten fairy tale or piece of children's lore—that a unicorn's horn was proof against...

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

• area
• expanse
• exterior
• facade
• face
• façade
• level
• side
• skin
• top