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, 13 Oct. 2025
Some appeared to pop their heads through the bus windows to talk with the crowds below.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Place the point of a large chef’s knife at the center of the lobster just below the large claws.
—Kathryn Gregory, Louisville Courier Journal, 14 Oct. 2025
Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
The Old Farmer's Almanac predicts a warmer-than-normal fall with below-average rainfall for Tennessee.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 25 Sep. 2025
Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2025
In the below conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Latimer opens up about the ordeal and his Survivor journey cut short.
—Terry Terrones, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for below
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.
Adverb
Check out the promo video for the films below.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2025
Some appeared to pop their heads through the bus windows to talk with the crowds below.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
Preposition
Orion Nebula Those viewing from a dark sky location may also notice a blurry patch of light hanging about 5 degrees below Orion's belt.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Place the point of a large chef’s knife at the center of the lobster just below the large claws.
—Kathryn Gregory, Louisville Courier Journal, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
And starters Matt McLain, Lux, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Marte and De La Cruz all have below-average wRC+ over the last 30 days.
—Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
The Old Farmer's Almanac predicts a warmer-than-normal fall with below-average rainfall for Tennessee.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Instead, the worst statistical defensive unit in the NFL saw Dowdle offer up 239 total yards to help power the below-average Panthers offense (21st in the NFL entering the game) to a 30-27 win behind 410 total yards of production.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2025
In the below conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Latimer opens up about the ordeal and his Survivor journey cut short.
—Terry Terrones, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 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 16 Oct. 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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