underneath
Americanpreposition
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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
Vocabulary lists containing underneath
"Eleven"
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"Eleven," Vocabulary from the short story
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: under-
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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.
At Meta Connect, underneath his mullet, Wang presented the updates to Meta Muse, including new security measures, a Mac app, and rollouts to more countries.
From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026
The ChatGPT maker has said it is working to investigate the security incidents and address the safety issues underneath them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Once the chicken is cooked, I pull it out to shred later, while the vegetables underneath — softened in chicken fat, lemon and all those browned juices — become the base of the soup.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
To see if a higher front helps you sleep better, you can try McCarthy's towel trick by rolling it and placing it underneath your pillow.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Even with the camper underneath it, the tree was only a few inches off the ground.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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.
