on the surface

phrase

: to all outward appearances

Examples of on the surface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Pancho’s implant, a delicate array of electrodes spread over a flat, flexible rectangular device like a business card, is placed on the surface of his vocal motor cortex, which governs speech production. — Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026

Voters in three other states sent even clearer signals about redistricting on Tuesday night—and each of the results seemed, on the surface, to favor Democrats. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2026

These years were in a period known as a solar maximum, when more solar flares, or explosions on the surface of the Sun, released matter and high-energy particles that hit Earth’s atmosphere. — Mary Ogborn, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026

Google’s new overarching approach to AI in K-12 classrooms sounds good on the surface. — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 3 Nov. 2026

Rhymes for on the surface

• hypersurface
• undersurface
• resurface
• subsurface