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
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.
Lower sea levels reduced pressure on the bedrock beneath Antarctic ice shelves, allowing the land underneath to slowly rise upward.
From Science Daily • May 29, 2026
But what does shopping your values even mean when the system underneath is invisible?
From Salon • May 27, 2026
But the economics underneath are becoming harder to ignore.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
The roof pillars and rear deck—the tonneau, if we’re being pedantic—rise as one piece, clearing a space underneath for the roof panel to slip into.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
The ice buckled underneath the snowmobile, and Owen and George froze as a thin layer of water pooled at their feet.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
