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)
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
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
Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 4 Mar. 2026
The graphic below includes all races that voters in the county cast ballots for.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 4 Mar. 2026
Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 2 Mar. 2026
Inflation stayed in its cage, coming in below 2% — later the Fed’s official target — for 17 straight months in 1997-99.
—Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Brent Rose, Outside, 28 Feb. 2026
Hair care essentials this attractive are sure to fly off online shelves in a flash, so mark your calendar for the top of next month and fill your cart with other no-brainer buys from the three brands behind the collab in the meantime (more on this below).
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
More on that, and more, in the below observations from Saturday’s 3-2 win.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 21 Feb. 2026
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
Plus, check out more of Brinkley and Stewart’s favorite beauty products below.
—Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 4 Mar. 2026
The graphic below includes all races that voters in the county cast ballots for.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 4 Mar. 2026
Preposition
Currently, 39 states have average prices below the $3-per-gallon threshold.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 2 Mar. 2026
Inflation stayed in its cage, coming in below 2% — later the Fed’s official target — for 17 straight months in 1997-99.
—Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
Even in a year with below-average snowpack, they were surprised by how many quality runs still worked and how good the snow was.
—Brent Rose, Outside, 28 Feb. 2026
Hair care essentials this attractive are sure to fly off online shelves in a flash, so mark your calendar for the top of next month and fill your cart with other no-brainer buys from the three brands behind the collab in the meantime (more on this below).
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Jansen got love, too, including in the below category.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
More on that, and more, in the below observations from Saturday’s 3-2 win.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for below
Cite this Entry
“Below.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/below. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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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