underwater

[uhn-der-waw-ter, -wot-er]

adjective

1. existing or occurring under water.

2. designed to be used under water.

3. located below a ship's waterline.

adverb

1. beneath the water.

   to travel underwater.

noun

1. the water beneath the surface.

   cold currents in the underwater.

2. underwaters, the depths, as of a sea, lake, etc.

underwater

/ ˈʌndəˈwɔːtə /

adjective

1. being, occurring, or going under the surface of the water, esp the sea

   underwater exploration

2. nautical below the water line of a vessel

3. (of a stock option or other asset) having a market value below its purchase value

adverb

1. beneath the surface of the water

Word History and Origins

Origin of underwater¹

First recorded in 1620–30; under- + water

Example Sentences

"Sharks don't have arms, but they need to mate underwater," Cohen said.

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These species would come to dominate this new underwater world and over time, the dead coral skeletons beneath would erode into rubble.

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During the Ice Age, sea levels dropped more than 100 meters, revealing vast coastal plains that are now underwater.

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There have been exceptions, such as the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty, which bars nuclear testing in the atmosphere, outer space or underwater.

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The RRS Sir David Attenborough, a state-of-the-art ship named after the renowned UK naturalist, will aid research on everything from "hunting underwater tsunamis" to tracking glacier melt and whale populations.

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Related Words

• submerged 
• undersea