underneath
Americanpreposition
-
below the surface or level of; directly or vertically beneath; at or on the bottom of.
-
under the control of; in a lower position in a hierarchy of authority.
Underneath the department heads are the junior executives.
-
hidden, disguised, or misrepresented, as by a false appearance or pretense.
Underneath his bluster is a timid nature.
adverb
adjective
noun
preposition
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of underneath
before 900; Middle English undernethe, Old English underneothan. See under, beneath
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.
“It’s a little bit like if you're kayaking in a river, and there's rocks underneath the water, sometimes there's eddies in the surface, which can tell you about the rocks under the water,” explained Ockenden.
From BBC
Given that there were no storms, no flooding, and no significant vibration from the train passing underneath, "natural causes can almost entirely be ruled out as the origin of the incident", Amorn said.
From BBC
Ashes were falling from the plume on to cars and homes underneath with a strong smell of smoke in the area.
From BBC
In one village, a woman in her 70s wore a green padded jacket underneath an apron as she crossed her outdoor courtyard.
From Barron's
She said she had been standing on a chair and the accused was underneath her looking at a lower shelf.
From BBC
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.