surface

play

noun sur·face \ ˈsər-fəs \

Definition of surface

1 :the exterior or upper boundary of an object or body

on the surface of the water

the earth's surface

2 :a plane or curved two-dimensional locus of points (such as the boundary of a three-dimensional region)

plane surface

surface of a sphere

3 a :the external or superficial aspect of something

trouble lurks below the surface

b :an external part or layer

sanded the rough surfaces

— on the surface

:to all outward appearances

See surface defined for English-language learners

See surface defined for kids

Examples of surface in a Sentence

The painting's surface is covered with fine cracks.
The bowl has a shiny surface.
The surface of wood was rough.
Be careful of icy surfaces on the roads.

Recent Examples of surface from the Web

Fortunately, birds in the air can be seen a lot further than bass breaking at the surface.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Find the bait, find the bass," 30 Aug. 2017
Hard surfaces can be disinfected with a solution of one cup of bleach to five gallons of water.

— Washington Post, "Public health dangers loom in Harvey-hit areas," 28 Aug. 2017
These ice cores are the products of that research, samples from miles under the surface.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "A Chilly Look at America's Frozen Ice Laboratory," 24 Aug. 2017
Sapphire crystal with antireflective coating on the inner surface.

— jack forster, Bloomberg.com, "This Upstart Malaysian Watch Brand Has a Powerhouse Debut," 22 Aug. 2017
Such antennas could link people on Earth’s surface to submarines or miners.

— matthew hutson, Science | AAAS, "Mini-antennas could power brain-computer interfaces, medical devices," 22 Aug. 2017
Schools have surface-level conversations about white supremacy or no conversations at all, and that allows hate to flourish.

— keith bierygolick, Cincinnati.com, "When swastikas show up in the classroom," 18 Aug. 2017
On Aug. 21, the moon will cross between the Earth and the sun, casting a 70-mile-wide shadow onto the planet’s surface that will cut a path across the U.S. from the West Coast to the East.

— Discover Magazine, "Total Eclipse: Solar Research Thrives in Darkness," 15 Aug. 2017
Even slight nicks or dents in the surface can reduce its ability to remain invisible to anti-air defenses.

— scott canon, kansascity, "North Korea, ‘fire and fury’ and Guam: Missouri-based B-2 bombers play a key role," 10 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'surface.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of surface

French, from Middle French, from sur- + face face, from Old French — more at face

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1600

See Words from the same year

surface Synonyms

Synonyms

face, outside, shell, skin, exterior, veneer

Antonyms

inside, interior

Related Words

facade (also façade), front, top; cover, covering, facing; appearance, disguise, guise, mask, semblance, show

surface

adjective

Definition of surface

1 a :of, located on, or designed for use at the surface of something

b :situated, transported, or employed on the surface of the earth

surface mail

surface vehicles

2 :appearing to be such on the surface only :superficial

surface friendships

See surface defined for English-language learners

Examples of surface in a Sentence

Despite the surface differences between the two candidates, they are very similar in most ways.
a surface stain on the wood that can easily be removed with a mild detergent

First Known Use of surface

1642

surface Synonyms

Synonyms

skin-deep, superficial

Related Words

depthless, shallow, shoal; two-dimensional; external

Near Antonyms

deep, deep-seated

surface

verb

Definition of surface

surfaced; surfacing

transitive verb

1 :to give a surface to: such as

a :to plane or make smooth

b :to apply the surface layer to

surface a highway

2 :to bring to the surface

surface a sunken ship

intransitive verb

1 :to work on or at the surface

2 :to come to the surface

3 :to come into public view :show up

letters that have recently surfaced

—

surfacer

noun

See surface defined for English-language learners

Examples of surface in a Sentence

The whale surfaced and then dove back down.
The information surfaced many years later.
After several years, the actress surfaced in a comedy.
The road needs to be surfaced again.

Recent Examples of surface from the Web

The Enquirer Marvin Lewis hesitated as the inevitable question of Vontaze Burfict’s suspension surfaced at his press conference Tuesday, his first since the potential five-game suspension of his star linebacker hit the news cycle.

— paul dehner jr., Cincinnati.com, "Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis on NFL's Vontaze Burfict ruling: 'Ridiculous'," 29 Aug. 2017
Anyhoo, here are some of the best tweets surfacing from said match below:

— SI.com, "A Merciless Twitter Reacts to Arsenal's 4-0 Capitulation Against Liverpool," 27 Aug. 2017
Once the speculation about a pardon for Arpaio surfaced, the endgame was never in doubt.

— dan balz, chicagotribune.com, "Trump's pardon of controversial Arizona ex-sheriff Arpaio fits a pattern: A divider not a uniter," 26 Aug. 2017
After a quick ascent, his campaign fell apart after rumours of a 13-year affair surfaced.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Herman Cain: If Ben Carson Is A House Negro, ‘Then I Must Be One Too’," 25 Aug. 2017
All of this is to say that even before videos surfaced revealing his endorsement of pedophilia, Yiannopoulos’s derangement was obvious.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "Campus Conservatives Gave the Alt-Right a Platform," 15 Aug. 2017
Nearly eight months after the shootings, no arrests have been made and few specifics have surfaced about the shots fired at an off-campus party that coincided with the Heisman Trophy being bestowed on U of L quarterback Lamar Jackson.

— tim sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Sullivan: Gunshot wound leaves U of L's Hearns unchanged," 5 Aug. 2017
Simulations in software could surface strange-but-efficient means of locomotion that a robot's human designers might never have thought of, or help to design robots intended for very specific purposes from the ground up.

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "Watch a Deep-Learning Bot Learn (and Fail) to Run," 1 Aug. 2017
The White House denied that there had been any collusion between Donald Trump’s election campaign and the Russian authorities, after e-mails surfaced of a meeting between Donald Trump junior and a Russian lawyer.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 13 July 2017

First Known Use of surface

1778

surface Synonyms

Synonyms

come up, crop (up), emerge, materialize, spring (up), arise

Related Words

appear, come out, show up, turn up; chance, come, come about, fall out, go (on), go off, hap, happen, occur, pass, transpire; interfere, interpose, intervene, intrude

Near Antonyms

dive, drop, drown, founder, plunge, sink, submerge, submerse

SURFACE Defined for English Language Learners

surface

play

noun

Definition of surface for English Language Learners

: an outside part or layer of something
: the upper layer of an area of land or water
: the flat, top part of something (such as a table or desk) that you can work on

surface

adjective

Definition of surface for English Language Learners

: involving only the parts that are easy to see or notice
: involving the removal of the surface of a large area of land to get at coal or other material that is near to the surface

surface

verb

Definition of surface for English Language Learners

: to rise to the surface of water
: to appear or become obvious after being hidden or not seen
: to put a surface on (something, such as a road)

SURFACE Defined for Kids

surface

play

noun sur·face \ ˈsər-fəs \

Definition of surface for Students

1 :the outside or any one side of an object

She floated on the water's surface.

2 :the outside appearance

On the surface the idea seems good.

surface

adjective

Definition of surface for Students

:not deep or real

a surface wound

a surface friendship

surface

verb

Definition of surface for Students

surfaced; surfacing

1 :to come to the surface

The submarine surfaced.

2 :to become obvious

Claudia's impatience surfaced.
—E. L. Konigsburg, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

3 :to give a new top layer to :make smooth (as by sanding or paving)

Medical Dictionary

surface

play

noun sur·face \ ˈsər-fəs \

medical Definition of surface

:the exterior or upper boundary of an object or body

the mesial and distal surfaces of a tooth

Learn More about surface

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for surface Spanish Central: Translation of surface Nglish: Translation of surface for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of surface for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up surface? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

surface

Definition of surface

Read the Latest from M-W

Examples of surface in a Sentence

Recent Examples of surface from the Web

Origin and Etymology of surface

surface Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

surface

Definition of surface

Examples of surface in a Sentence

First Known Use of surface

surface Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

surface

Definition of surface

surfacer

Examples of surface in a Sentence

Recent Examples of surface from the Web

First Known Use of surface

surface Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to SURFACE

Related Phrases

SURFACE Defined for English Language Learners

surface

Definition of surface for English Language Learners

surface

Definition of surface for English Language Learners

surface

Definition of surface for English Language Learners

SURFACE Defined for Kids

surface

Definition of surface for Students

surface

Definition of surface for Students

surface

Definition of surface for Students

Medical Dictionary

surface

medical Definition of surface

Learn More about surface

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066