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.
While developing the season, Reid says he became increasingly interested in the gap between the public version of Lestat and the person underneath it.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2026
The surface of the water offered a clearer picture of what was above it—the sky, the monuments—than what was underneath.
From Slate • Jun. 19, 2026
A woman has been seriously injured after being trapped underneath a fallen telegraph pole in a train station car park.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
If it was less than two sizes too large, I wasn’t putting it on; if I wore a skirt, it was with jeans underneath it.
From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026
The boat turned and twisted in the water, and Natalie held on tight to the building as the sailboat dragged away underneath her.
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.
