subterranean

adjective

sub·ter·ra·nean ˌsəb-tə-ˈrā-nē-ən

-nyən

variants or less commonly subterraneous

ˌsəb-tə-ˈrā-nē-əs

-nyəs

Synonyms of subterranean next

: being, lying, or operating under the surface of the earth

: existing or working in secret : hidden

a subterranean network of criminals

subterraneanly adverb

or less commonly subterraneously

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Go Underground With Subterranean

A tunnel is a subterranean road or pathway, and a subway is a subterranean railway. The subterranean vaults at Fort Knox hold billions of dollars of gold reserves. Subterranean reservoirs called aquifers are tapped for water; in places where the pressure on the subterranean water is great enough, a hole drilled in the ground will bring it bubbling to the surface.

Example Sentences

a subterranean bunker that supposedly could withstand even an atomic blast

Recent Examples on the Web Many aren’t designed with subterranean tunnels where the public can take cover. —

Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 13 May 2023 Is a daughter desiring a mother’s boyfriend, even at some subterranean level—and Soon-Yi did apparently desire Woody, to whom she’s now been married some 25 years—entirely unknown? —

Laura Kipnis, The New Republic, 5 May 2023 Experience a night of subterranean serenity for yourself at one of Coober Pedy's underground hotels, such as the Desert Cave Hotel or Lookout Cave. —

Keira Alexander, Travel + Leisure, 19 Apr. 2023 On the left is the newest one, the subterranean man cave unofficially known as the supervillain lair, officially the Ammonite Club, complete with 28-seat industry-caliber movie theater. —

Jason Kehe, WIRED, 23 Mar. 2023 The Tannhäuser legend—in which the eponymous knight spends a year in Venus’s subterranean realm—has been told many times, but Beardsley’s version takes the prize for shock value. —

Colton Valentine, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2023 The ancient site of Maresha, now part of a national park in Israel, was once a thriving city with a subterranean secret. —

Brigit Katz, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Aug. 2022 Surplus power is used to compress air and store it under pressure in subterranean caverns. —

Rebecca Cairns, CNN, 1 Aug. 2022 The sewer district invited media along on the routine inspection, providing a rare glimpse of the aging, subterranean infrastructure that has been incorprated into some of the urban streams that run through the region. —

Joshua Gunter, cleveland, 22 July 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subterranean.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.