surface

1 of 3

noun

sur·​face ˈsər-fəs How to pronounce surface (audio)
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

surface

2 of 3

adjective

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

surface

3 of 3

verb

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
Phrases
on the surface
: to all outward appearances

Examples of surface in a Sentence

Noun 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. Adjective 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 Verb 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 on the Web
Noun
But the eye-popping style is as good as the show gets; the fun ends where the surface does. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024 In trail running, where the surfaces can vary, Smith and Tucker-Vikström added that customers can focus on purchasing soles that focus on grip, for uneven surfaces like sand and loose gravel. Mason Leib, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2024 By the strange alchemy of demagoguery, a brief visit to the surface of sanity annulled years and years of crazy. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 This new crop of moonwalkers — the first since last century’s Apollo program — will descend to the lunar surface in a Starship after transferring from NASA’s Orion capsule in lunar orbit. Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 This new crop of moonwalkers — the first since last century’s Apollo program — will descend to the lunar surface in a Starship after transferring from NASA's Orion capsule in lunar orbit. By marcia Dunn, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 It is intended not only to carry cargo and crew to the lunar surface but also to launch more and larger Starlink broadband satellites than the company’s existing lineup of rockets can. Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Recommended The anger that has been simmering since the early days of the war, meanwhile, has only in recent weeks come to the surface. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024 Earlier this year, two commercial spacecraft attempted to land on the moon as part of a NASA program designed to carry instruments and experiments to the lunar surface, and eventually cargo and rovers. Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The battery life alone (23 minutes and 30 seconds) makes this one of the best cordless vacuums, but there are some additional unique features that helped this Eureka multi-surface model stand out to us. Alida Nugent, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Mar. 2023 In it were tablets containing concentrated hand soap as well as multi-surface, glass and bathroom cleaners — and four empty containers. Susan Shain, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2023 The sub was fitted with six 533-millimeter torpedo tubes and carried a mix of both anti-surface and anti-submarine weapons. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 23 Dec. 2022 The multi-surface cleaner works with Dyson's signature de-tangling Motorbar cleaner head, a brush bar that safely captures hair and moves it along with no clogged mess. Lauren Fischer, Peoplemag, 9 Nov. 2022 Clorox’s multi-surface mist does it all. Jodhaira Rodriguez, Good Housekeeping, 16 Aug. 2022 Plus, its dual multi-surface rubber brushes flex to adjust to different floor types and avoid getting tangled with pet hair. Stephanie Mlot, PCMAG, 16 Mar. 2023 Besides the citrusy aroma, there’s a lot to love about the eco-friendly subscription service, including the reusable spray bottles—and the fact that just a small spritz of multi-surface, all-purpose cleaner is enough to banish grease from your cooktop. Tiffany Hopkins, Bon Appétit, 16 Feb. 2023 Pine-Sol scented multi-surface cleaners (lavender clean, sparkling wave and lemon fresh scents), CloroxPro Pine-Sol all purpose cleaners (lavender clean, sparkling wave, lemon fresh, and orange energy scents) and Clorox Professional Pine-Sol lemon fresh cleaner. Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 26 Oct. 2022
Verb
Ohtani’s lawyers accused the interpreter of theft after the publication reportedly learned that the ballplayer’s name surfaced during an investigation of Orange County resident, Mathew Bowyer. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 Government protections — and potential restrictions — of IVF treatment surfaced unexpectedly as a potentially volatile election year political issue after a ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court that briefly halted some IVF services in the state. Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2024 Another potential problem surfaced in spring training, which is that Gavin Lux, who previously had difficulties throwing the ball, once again had problems throwing the ball. Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 At the start of 2024, the couple, who made headlines when their workplace romance surfaced in Nov. 2022, said running a marathon was on their vision board for the year during an episode of their Amy & T.J. podcast. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 The exchange between Madonna and Gorman made headlines when fan video from the concert surfaced on social media. Oliver Gettell, EW.com, 15 Mar. 2024 However, shortly after, the couple broke up for the second time when allegations of SK cheating surfaced online. Charlotte Walsh, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2024 At least 550 bills and resolutions have surfaced concerning time changes at the state level in recent years, according to a tally from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Diba Mohtasham, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024 The sites, the researchers and officials said, could well be the foundations of an online network primed to surface disinformation ahead of the American presidential election in November. Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1778, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of surface was circa 1600

Dictionary Entries Near surface

Cite this Entry

“Surface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surface. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

surface

1 of 2 noun
sur·​face ˈsər-fəs How to pronounce surface (audio)
1
: the outside of an object or body
on the surface of the water
the earth's surface
2
: any flat or curved two-dimensional area in space
the surface of a cube
3
: the outside appearance
on the surface the plan seems good
surface adjective

surface

2 of 2 verb
surfaced; surfacing
1
a
: to make smooth
b
: to apply the surface layer to
surface a road
2
: to bring or come to the surface
3
: to come into public view
letters that recently surfaced

Medical Definition

surface

noun
sur·​face ˈsər-fəs How to pronounce surface (audio)
: the exterior or upper boundary of an object or body
the mesial and distal surfaces of a tooth

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