underwater

American  

[uhn-der-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈʌn dərˈwɔ tər, -ˈwɒt ər /

adjective

1. existing or occurring under water.

2. designed to be used under water.

3. located below a ship's waterline.

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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 British  

/ 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

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adverb

1. beneath the surface of the water

Etymology

Origin of underwater

First recorded in 1620–30; under- + water

Example Sentences

The remaining 4.4 million are deeply underwater, meaning it would cost more to convert them into stock than the resulting shares would be worth.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sediment runoff, algae blooms, and organic debris can sharply reduce underwater light, sometimes transforming bright coastal waters into near night.

From Science Daily

"The idea comes from the 'shrimp soldiers and crab generals' guarding the underwater palace in Journey to the West," Cheng said.

From Science Daily

The seabed of both the Baltic and the Arctic are busy with underwater infrastructure, such as energy pipelines and internet cables, critical for communications and billions of dollars worth of financial transactions daily.

From BBC

“The reality of it is that we have had five years of middle-income families being underwater,” Williams said.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• submerged
• undersea