underneath

[uhn-der-neeth, -neeth]

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.

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

/ ˌʌndəˈniːθ /

preposition

1. under; beneath

adjective

1. lower

noun

1. a lower part, surface, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of underneath¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of underneath¹

Old English underneothan, from _under + neothan below; related to Old Danish underneden; see _beneath

Example Sentences

Kerosene tanks were buried underneath the parking areas.

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The Trojans were especially suffocating underneath, blocking 15 shots — the most since Gottlieb became coach.

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Yet the wobble underneath each “Knives Out” entry is that each is a 21st-century societal critique.

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A Renaissance painting found underneath a garage workbench has sold for more than half a million pounds at an auction house in Banbury.

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The brothers found six comic books, including Superman #1, in the attic underneath a stack of newspapers inside a cardboard box and surrounded by cobwebs in 2024, Heritage said in a press release.

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