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
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
The slide below shows this memory sharing which includes significant redundancy in data placement to deal with deal with bad data in individual memories.
—Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The sterile cockpit rule prohibits pilots from engaging in conversations unrelated to operating the aircraft when flying below 10,000 feet.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 29 Aug. 2025
Above zero would be better, and that’s slightly-below tidy for a veteran who usually plays while many of his best teammates rest.
—Tony East, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2025
However, he’s graded out as a below-average defender at first base with below-average range, though his dominant bat makes up for it.
—Jim Bowden, New York Times, 8 Sep. 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
Fill out the form below and the Herald sportswriters may answer them at the event.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
The slide below shows this memory sharing which includes significant redundancy in data placement to deal with deal with bad data in individual memories.
—Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Preposition
In any case, clues and answers for today’s Mini are below!
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The sterile cockpit rule prohibits pilots from engaging in conversations unrelated to operating the aircraft when flying below 10,000 feet.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
Both the below and the final scorecard on the next page will be updated as sales come in.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 29 Aug. 2025
Above zero would be better, and that’s slightly-below tidy for a veteran who usually plays while many of his best teammates rest.
—Tony East, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The Calorie Control Council provided the below statement to Fox News Digital.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2025
However, he’s graded out as a below-average defender at first base with below-average range, though his dominant bat makes up for it.
—Jim Bowden, New York Times, 8 Sep. 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 15 Sep. 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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