underneath

American  

[uhn-der-neeth, -neeth] / ˌʌn dərˈniθ, -ˈnið /

preposition

1. below the surface or level of; directly or vertically beneath; at or on the bottom of.

2. under the control of; in a lower position in a hierarchy of authority.

   Underneath the department heads are the junior executives.

3. hidden, disguised, or misrepresented, as by a false appearance or pretense.

   Underneath his bluster is a timid nature.

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adverb

1. below; at a lower level or position; on the underside.

adjective

1. lower; situated below or under.

noun

1. the bottom; underside; lowest part.

underneath British  

/ ˌʌndəˈniːθ /

preposition

1. under; beneath

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adjective

1. lower

noun

1. a lower part, surface, etc

Etymology

Origin of underneath

before 900; Middle English undernethe, Old English underneothan. See under, beneath

Example Sentences

“The code a company writes is almost like the top layer of a cake, and underneath are all of these layers” of open-source software, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

A comment underneath, liked more than 800 times, reads: Birth control is "so bad for you".

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Then, as the cool of autumn took hold, it was finally time for the great reveal: underneath an insulated protective cover was old snow.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2026

Looking at the daily chart, the stock is well underneath both its 50- and 200-day simple moving averages.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Many were too large and heavy to lift; all he could do was dig through the leaves and try to see what was underneath.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret