surface
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.
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.
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.
to rise to the surface: The submarine surfaced after four days.
to work on or at the surface.
Origin of surface
1Other words from surface
- sur·face·less, adjective
- sur·fac·er, noun
- non·sur·face, noun, adjective
- un·sur·faced, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use surface in a sentence
Now Domokos had the average shapes produced by splitting a flat surface or a three-dimensional block.
Scientists Uncover the Universal Geometry of Geology | Joshua Sokol | November 19, 2020 | Quanta MagazineThe end of the maze is a platform just under the water’s surface.
Warning! Junk foods can harm a teen’s brain | Sharon Oosthoek | November 19, 2020 | Science News For StudentsMighty mills the outside wall surfaces of the buildings, so it can give the structures any shape or appearance they want, from typical siding to more decorative patterns.
A new material allows this company to 3D print most of a house in a single day | Stan Horaczek | November 18, 2020 | Popular-ScienceUnderwater, turbulence thrashed his body, then released him to the surface, where he drifted into the shallows.
It’s counterintuitive on the surface, but a variety of high-profile conservation laws, like NEPA, FLPMA, and NFMA, not only mandate significant local input but also provide the tools for it.
Whatever frustrations or disappointments he felt about politics never surfaced.
“I am just floored by this,” Jo Farrell, now 83, told The Denver Post eight years ago when the allegations first surfaced.
Recently, when whistleblowers finally surfaced, the Home Office officials could find no trace of the dossier.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero | Clive Irving | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA few weeks before this, a video surfaced of an Ebola victim in Monrovia, Liberia who had been presumed dead.
What It’s Like to Wake Up Dead | Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad | November 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen the story surfaced in the press, Shumlin backtracked and said it all been a misunderstanding.
Landy rasped his feet to evenness and cautioned that he would have to be shod if used on hard-surfaced roads.
David Lannarck, Midget | George S. HarneyBut how do you disable a smooth-surfaced turtle-backed machine?
The Status Civilization | Robert SheckleyThe cement can be forced into place with the hands and then surfaced with a trowel.
Elements of Plumbing | Samuel DibbleThey descended a minor slope and came to a hard-surfaced road with tire marks on it and a sign sternly urging care in driving.
Operation Terror | William Fitzgerald JenkinsThat was just the moment to "fall up against" the hard-surfaced man.
The Golden Censer | John McGovern
British Dictionary definitions for surface
/ (ˈsɜːfɪs) /
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
come to the surface to emerge; become apparent
on the surface to all appearances
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
(intr) informal
to wake up
to get up
Origin of surface
1Derived forms of surface
- surfaceless, adjective
- surfacer, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with surface
see on the surface; scratch the surface.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse