below

adverb be·low \ bi-ˈlō \

Definition of below

1 :in or to a lower place

gazed at the water below

voices from the apartment below

2 a :on earth

improvements in conditions here below
—Times Literary Supplement

b :in or to Hades or hell

3 :on or to a lower floor or deck

ordered the crew below

4 a :in, to, at, or by a lower rank or number

suitable for children age 10 and below

b :below zero

the temperature was 20 below

5 :lower on the same page or on a following page

See the graph below.

6 :under the surface of the water

thirty fathoms below

See below defined for English-language learners

See below defined for kids

Examples of below in a Sentence

The pencil rolled off the desk and fell to the floor below.
The pilot looked down at the sea far below.
We heard the elevator stop at the floor below.
They secured the goods on deck and went below.
All personnel, captain and below, were ordered to report for duty.

Recent Examples of below from the Web

Ginger Glazed Salmon on a Stick Makes 4 salmon sticks 2 tablespoons Ginger Glaze (see below) 1/2 pound fillet salmon 1 teaspoon coarse salt 2 tablespoons melted butter, or olive oil Prepare glaze and set it aside.

— ann maloney, NOLA.com, "A twist to Labor Day grilling party menus, from cocktails to dessert," 30 Aug. 2017
Also aiding the effort is Mac Mart (104 S. 18th St.), which is donating 50 percent of proceeds from its Cowboy Cup and Cowgirl Cup mac-and-cheese bowls (see below) to a charity to be named.

— michael klein, Philly.com, "Local chefs helping flood relief," 29 Aug. 2017
Take a look at the game’s entire Heat roster below: NBA2K released the Miami Heat's All-Time Team last night.

— manny navarro, miamiherald, "Who made the Miami Heat’s All-Time team according to NBA2K? The list includes...," 25 Aug. 2017
First reported by Eater, PC Gamer then did some digging and even ended up with the video embedded below.

— hayden dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: KFC's creepy VR training, Anno 1800 revealed, Brink goes free-to-play," 25 Aug. 2017
Below are just a few of the consequences of the new rulebook that officials may not have intended: Less research Forcing banks to charge for research separately from trading services is among the most controversial aspects of the new regime.

— sarah jones, Bloomberg.com, "Unintended Consequences of MiFID: Job Losses, Trade Turmoil?," 21 Aug. 2017
There’s even a chance to set the Guinness World Record for eating the most Carolina Reapers, one of the hottest peppers (see pic below) in the world.

— lisa beebe, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Hot Sauce Expo Is This Weekend, and We Need All the Endorphins We Can Get Right Now," 16 Aug. 2017
Below is a brief list of fun and budget friendly activities.

— kansascity, "How to pull off a budget friendly adventure," 16 Aug. 2017
Deep, old layers are driven up, while wind strips away snow and younger ice, revealing the lustrous blue of compressed ice below.

— paul voosen, Science | AAAS, "Record-shattering 2.7-million-year-old ice core reveals start of the ice ages," 15 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'below.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of below

Middle English bilooghe, from bi by + looghe low, adjective

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

below Synonyms

Synonyms

beneath, under, underneath

Antonyms

Related Words

beside, near, nearby

Near Antonyms

aloft, overhead

below

preposition

Definition of below

1 a :lower in place, rank, or value than :under

Our apartment is below theirs.

Her skirt reached below her knees.

The sun dipped below the horizon.

b :down river from

moored a mile below town

c :south of

located 20 miles below the nation's capital

2 :inferior to (as in rank)

A lieutenant is below a captain.

3 :not suitable to the rank of :beneath

considers such work below him

See below defined for English-language learners

Examples of below in a Sentence

Our apartment is below theirs.
We could see only clouds below us.
The diver descended below 25 meters.
The sun disappeared below the horizon.
a spot directly below us
the valley far below us
Temperatures were below average all week.
She worked for wage rates below those of other workers.
He ranks far below his superior.

Origin and Etymology of below

derivative of ¹below

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1575

See Words from the same year

below Synonyms

Synonyms

beneath, neath [dialect], under

Antonyms

above, over

Related Words

underneath

Near Antonyms

toward (or towards)

below

noun

Definition of below

:something that is below

Recent Examples of below from the Web

The top 10 quality of life ranking included below is part of the larger analysis.

— jennifer larino, NOLA.com, "Louisiana is (again) on a list of the 10 worst states to live in," 21 July 2017
Check out our interview with her below, and learn about everything from her practice to playing with perception and more.

— sandra song, Teen Vogue, "Meet RAFiA Santana, the Multimedia Artist Working GIFs and Grubhub for the Greater Good," 8 July 2017
Log-in below or select the 'Create an Account' button to activate your account and start taking advantage of your member perks.

— Cincinnati.com, "CHRISTMAS IN JULY," 23 June 2017
Log-in below or select 'Create an Account' to activate your subscription and become a member.

— The Courier-Journal, "Win a $250 Gift Card!," 23 June 2017
Log-in below or select 'Create an Account' to activate your subscription and become an Insider.

— Indianapolis Star, "CHRISTMAS IN JULY: Soak up a Staycation," 22 June 2017
Small, quantifiable changes like the four below can help reduce risk of high blood pressure and improve heart health overall. 1.

— erin palinski-wade, Good Housekeeping, "4 Foods That Lower Blood Pressure — And the Dangerous Stuff You Need to Avoid," 21 June 2017
The left side of the graphic shown below is an example from Hurricane Matthew last October —

— brian mcnoldy, Washington Post, "Hurricane season kicks off today, and odds are it will be busier than normal," 1 June 2017
Get lost in the visual below and download the track here.

— alexa shouneyia, Billboard, "Taryn Manning Lives the 'GLTCHLFE' in New Visual Off Upcoming EP: Exclusive," 5 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of below

noun derivative of ¹below

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1828

See Words from the same year

below

adjective

Definition of below

:written or discussed lower on the same page or on a following page

the below list

Recent Examples of below from the Web

Duffy signed a $65 million, five-year contract extension earlier this year, a deal that many believed was below market value.

— dave skretta, The Seattle Times, "Royals pitcher Danny Duffy cited for DUI in Kansas," 29 Aug. 2017
But perennial weeds will often resprout from their below-ground parts, and that makes hoeing a poor control for them.

— NOLA.com, "How to wage war on weeds," 26 Aug. 2017
No child should be talked about in the below manner-in real life or online.

— Bloomberg.com, "White House Renews Request for Privacy for Barron Trump," 22 Aug. 2017
Twenty-five percent of the units will be below market rate.

— c. j. hughes, New York Times, "Queens High-Rises to Have Industrial Space Downstairs," 28 July 2017
S&P Global Ratings has warned the agency will likely lower Illinois' credit rating to below investment grade if feuding lawmakers fail to agree on a state budget for a third straight year.

— brooke singman, Fox News, "Illinois in danger of entering financial 'death spiral'," 26 June 2017
Parking for 348 vehicles would be provided, including 332 below ground and 16 at ground level.

— steve dreyer, Pomerado News, "New Poway Road development gains early council support," 21 June 2017
This is considered a below average draft, but projected top two picks Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier can be impact players.

— kevin allen, USA TODAY, "NHL's important dates to start the offseason," 5 June 2017
Fern Street Community Kitchen Schedule WEST HARTFORD — The Mobile Foodshare will be distributing food in the back parking lot of the Community Kitchen at the Universalist Church at 433 Fern St. from 9:15 to 9:45 a.m. on the below dates.

— Courant Community, "Community News for the West Hartford Edition," 30 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of below

adjective derivative of ¹below

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1870

See Words from the same year

BELOW Defined for English Language Learners

below

adverb

Definition of below for English Language Learners

: in or to a lower place
: on or to a lower deck on a ship or boat
: in or to a lower rank or number

below

preposition

Definition of below for English Language Learners

: in or to a lower place than (something)
: lower in number, amount, or size than (something) : less than (something)
: less important or powerful than (someone) : having a lower rank than (someone)

BELOW Defined for Kids

below

adverb be·low \ bə-ˈlō \

Definition of below for Students

1 :in or to a lower place

The pencil rolled off the desk and fell on the floor below.

2 :below zero

The temperature was ten below.

below

preposition

Definition of below for Students

1 :in or to a lower place than :beneath

The sun sank below the horizon.

Vines grew below the window.

2 :at the bottom of :directly underneath

a caption below the picture

3 :lower in number, size, or amount

temperatures below average

Law Dictionary

below

adverb be·low

legal Definition of below

1 :in a lower court

the presumption that the decisions below…are correct
—W. J. Brennan, Jr.

2 :lower on the same page or on a following page

the paragraph below

below

preposition

legal Definition of below

:lower in place, rank, or value than

— below the line

:in calculations that yield taxable income

deductions taken below the line

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below

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below

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below

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