underneath 1 of 3

adverb

Definition of underneathnext
as in beneath
in or to a lower place the ball rolled under the porch, so you'll have to crawl underneath to get it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

underneath

2 of 3

adjective

as in under

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

underneath

3 of 3

preposition

as in below

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of underneath
Adverb
As the house begins to rise, the crew stacks wooden cribbing, like Lincoln Logs, into pillars underneath, to help support the structure. — Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026 The three-compartment sink had rodent droppings underneath, but no sanitizer inside. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
Preposition
Lopez sprinted to third, rounded the bag and safely slid headfirst underneath a throw home from Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026 This season, for the first time, Boise State will open a concession stand directly underneath the stands at the south end of the stadium, offering classic favorites such as hot dogs, burgers, sodas and beers. — Idaho Statesman, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for underneath
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underneath
  1. beneath
  2. under
  3. below
  4. lower
  5. near
  6. nether
  7. along
Adverb
  • When that energy reaches the ground, some of it is converted into seismic waves that ripple through the soil and rock beneath.
    — Nolan Roth, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The orbiter completes a lunar polar orbit every two hours, as the moon rotates beneath.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of beneath
Adjective
  • The Bengals’ shift to more under-center, specifically running 12 and 13 personnel out of it, played into Grandy’s strengths.
    — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Viktor Hovland fired a 5-under 65 on Saturday and leads the field with a 15-under score of 195.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of under
Preposition
  • The company also estimates a technology payback period below 18 months.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Investor concern and the upcoming first-quarter report due out at the end of September or early October have pushed Nike shares down to the $40-a-share trading range, about 78 percent below their November 2021 high.
    — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of below
Adjective
  • Despite those lower court rulings, the practice has continued nationally, said Gregory Chen, the senior director of government relations for the Immigration Lawyers Association.
    — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 3 Sep. 2025
  • And ultimately, the Supreme Court overruled those lower court rulings and did declare the embryos as children qualifying under the wrongful death statute.
    — Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024
Definition of lower
Preposition
  • Oswego avoided sending the ball near the speedy Konkey on kickoffs to prevent a repeat of last week’s scoring on a return.
    — Jerry Birchfield, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The mother and daughter are among 90 Americans missing after the devastating landslide and flood, which tore through steep mountain gorges near the Nepal-China border and surged downstream along a river, wiping out entire villages.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of near
Adjective
  • In fact, many of his customers come from these nether regions.
    — Robert Klose, Christian Science Monitor, 24 Apr. 2026
  • In the first episode back, Cranston stands completely nude as Kaczmarek’s Lois shaves his back and nether regions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of nether
Preposition
  • The 100-meter sprint in Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval brought together the world’s fastest runners, hurtling along at breakneck speed to shrieks of excitement from a captivated crowd.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, the National Park Service said without providing details.
    — Jamie Stengle, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of along

Browse Nearby Words

undermost
underneath
undernourished
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Underneath.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underneath. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All