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
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.
Water droplets slide off his back, forming a puddle underneath him.
From Literature
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“Now, that foundation is being pulled out from underneath us.”
From Los Angeles Times
Karume says he removed the video of Kalekye because she left a comment underneath it and also took down another woman's video after she asked him to.
From BBC
“As we speak, a juvenile white shark is swimming underneath a surfer or swimmer somewhere in Southern California,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times
But underneath the rally was a fundamental valuation mismatch that makes Thursday’s sudden drop unsurprising.
From MarketWatch
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.