Preposition He hid the envelope underneath his coat. She slipped a note underneath the door. The ball rolled underneath the car. He lives in the apartment underneath mine. There was gum stuck underneath the table. Underneath her calm exterior was a nervous woman with a hot temper. They actually had a lot in common underneath their obvious differences. Adverb He wore a white sweater with a red shirt underneath. She lifted up the rock and found ants crawling underneath. The car had rust underneath. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Preposition
Kate rarely wears a hat without doing something interesting to the hair underneath it. Jessica Booth, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2022 This has to do with the most powerful people on the planet grabbing up the airable land that’s from underneath us. Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Sep. 2022 The torrential rains also exposed unexpected gaps in some luxury apartments, submerging Lamborghinis, Porsches and hundreds of other luxury cars parked underneath them. Sam Kim, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2022 The bridge, which was damaged Monday after a crash caused a tractor-trailer to catch fire underneath it, is now considered safe and will be fully reopened to traffic, GDOT announced. Henri Hollis, ajc, 1 Sep. 2022 Returning to the problem of the circular segment, Newton realized that the equation for the circle itself (not merely the area underneath it) could also be represented by a power series. Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 31 Aug. 2022 Extend the shelf life of your slip dresses and corset tops by investing in a tight turtleneck to wear underneath them. Hannah Oh, Seventeen, 26 Aug. 2022 But then on a warm day, when there’s a bed of water underneath it—which is what happened this year in the Marmolada Glacier Collapse [in the Dolomites]—that’s when things move. Christine Peterson, Outside Online, 26 Aug. 2022 Not long after, Malukas and Sato with their fresh tires underneath them, wove around IndyCar points leader Will Power for 4th and 5th and set their sights on potential podium finishes. Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Aug. 2022
Adverb
For the occasion, Delevingne wore a red suit Dior suit with nothing but gold body paint (and pasties) underneath. Carrie Wittmer, Glamour, 4 May 2022 The decorative loops around the rim impart extra feminine flair, and the waterproof plastic liner protects surfaces underneath from water that may drain out. Adrienne Jordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2021 Rust inhibitors convert iron oxide into a chemically stable, moisture-resistant compound that protects the rest of the metal underneath. Ben Wojdyla, Popular Mechanics, 8 Sep. 2020 Boynton wore a black mock turtleneck dress paired with black tights and platform shoes while Malek wore an all-black suit with a red sweatshirt underneath. Savannah Walsh, ELLE, 28 Aug. 2019 No doubt the emergence is staggered so some will be trapped underneath.oregonlive, 21 Aug. 2022 In recent years, the present owners discovered when removing some siding from the home that the original log cabin is still there, underneath. Steve Grant, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2022 It can get trapped underneath, causing further lifting. Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 5 Aug. 2022 Firefighters rescued a woman in Connecticut this week after she was hit by a bus and became trapped underneath, a moment that was partly captured on video. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 6 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Preposition
Middle English undernethe, preposition & adverb, from Old English underneothan, from under + neothan below — more at beneath
First Known Use
Preposition
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adverb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of underneath was before the 12th century