below

1 of 4

adverb

be·​low bi-ˈlō 

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 (London)

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

below

2 of 4

preposition

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

below

3 of 4

noun

: something that is below

below

4 of 4

adjective

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

the below list

Synonyms of below

Adverb

• underneath
• beneath

Preposition

• beneath
• under

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

Adverb

Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of some of the best country, bluegrass and/or Americana songs of the week below. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 24 Nov. 2025

Check out our predictions this week below. —Charlotte Observer, 24 Nov. 2025

Preposition

According to a report from Manulife John Hancock, Gen Z considers the ideal retirement age to be 59, well below millennials (61), Gen X (64) and baby boomers (67). —Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025

And all that was before a massive cheap shot late in the game from Panthers safety Tre’von Moehrig, who reared back and punched San Francisco wide receiver Jauan Jennings below the belt and was caught on camera doing so. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 25 Nov. 2025

Noun

The passing game did not present enough yards-after-catch opportunities (More on this below), in part because of the route concepts. —Zach Berman, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025

Watch an exclusive clip from the special below. —Andrew McGowan, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025

Adjective

The Los Angeles Dodgers won a World Series title with a below-average bullpen but a best-in-baseball starting rotation, showing the power that a strong, top-of-the-line starting pitching staff can deliver. —MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

Get your sweat on with the below home saunas. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 19 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

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

Preposition

derivative of below entry 1

Noun

noun derivative of below entry 1

Adjective

adjective derivative of below entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

circa 1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1828, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1870, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing below

• below par
• below standard
• below the belt
• from below

Rhymes for below

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids 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.

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