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
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
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
: something that is below
: written or discussed lower on the same page or on a following page
the below list
Examples of below in a Sentence
Adverb
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.
Preposition
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 May 2025
Grab it now for just $55 at Walmart, and shop more favorites from the BHG x Walmart collection below.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 May 2025
Mark I. Vail, The Conversation, 16 May 2025
The submission form and instructions are below the quiz.
—Holly J. Morris, NPR, 16 May 2025
Claire Sullivan, WWD, 7 Aug. 2024
Get to know Jordan by reading this rapid-fire Q-and-A below.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 11 Feb. 2024
Abby Clayton, JSTOR Daily, 29 Apr. 2025
Kelenic was batting just .167 with two home runs and a below average OPS of .531 in 60 at-bats.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for below
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adverb
Watch Hayek talk about her arrest on The Tonight Show below.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 May 2025
Grab it now for just $55 at Walmart, and shop more favorites from the BHG x Walmart collection below.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 May 2025
Preposition
These factors intensified long-standing constraints on defense spending, which had failed to keep up with inflation for much of the 2000s and remained far below the NATO norm of 2% of annual gross domestic product.
—Mark I. Vail, The Conversation, 16 May 2025
The submission form and instructions are below the quiz.
—Holly J. Morris, NPR, 16 May 2025
Noun
The below are shining examples of everything a lip gloss should be.
—Claire Sullivan, WWD, 7 Aug. 2024
Get to know Jordan by reading this rapid-fire Q-and-A below.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 11 Feb. 2024
Adjective
With that in mind, the below readings, organized chronologically, offer foundational rather than comprehensive touchpoints in the development and application of a transatlantic critical model.
—Abby Clayton, JSTOR Daily, 29 Apr. 2025
Kelenic was batting just .167 with two home runs and a below average OPS of .531 in 60 at-bats.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for below
Cite this Entry
“Below.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/below. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
below
1 of 2 adverb
be·low
bi-ˈlō 
1
: in or to a lower place
2
: on a lower floor or deck
3
: below zero
the temperature was 20 below
below
2 of 2 preposition
: lower than
the diver descends below 25 meters
below average
selling below cost
Legal Definition
below
1 of 2 adverb
be·low
1
: in a lower court
the presumption that the decisions below…are correct—W. J. Brennan, Jr.
W. J. Brennan, Jr.2
: lower on the same page or on a following page
the paragraph below
below
2 of 2 preposition
: lower in place, rank, or value than
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