underlie
verb (used with object)
to lie under or beneath; be situated under.
underlain
-
past participleof underlie.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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.
A fundamental tension has always underlain the history of the Civil Rights movement, much as it did contemporaneous news coverage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
Part of the reasoning in 2018 was site investigations found the ground underlain with peat deposits, as well as toxic and phytotoxic - meaning poisonous to plants - risk from shallow soils.
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025
Approximately 91 per cent of these forests in the northern hemisphere are underlain by permafrost.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2023
The drill site in northwest Greenland was 138 miles from the coast and underlain by 4,560 feet of ice.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2023
In this case the pervious limestone is underlain by beds of impervious clay.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 4 "Cincinnatus" to "Cleruchy" by Various
