under
adverb
\
Definition of under
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : in or into a position below or beneath something
2 : below or short of some quantity, level, or limit $10 or under —often used in combination understaffed
3 : in or into a condition of subjection, subordination, or unconsciousness put the patient under for surgery
4 : down to defeat, ruin, or death weaker competitors will be forced under
5 : so as to be covered buried under by the avalanche
under
prepositionDefinition of under (Entry 2 of 3)
1 : below or beneath so as to be overhung, surmounted, covered, protected, or concealed by under sunny skies a soft heart under a stern exterior under cover of darkness
2a : subject to the authority, control, guidance, or instruction of served under the general under the terms of the contract a program that runs under any operating system
b : receiving or undergoing the action or effect of under pressure courage under fire under the influence of alcohol the image of a point under a mapping under oath
3a : within the group or designation of under this heading
b : having as name or title traveling under an alias
4 : less or lower than (as in size, amount, or rank) especially : falling short of a standard or required degree under the legal age under par
under
adjectiveDefinition of under (Entry 3 of 3)
1a : lying or placed below, beneath, or on the ventral side —often used in combination the ocean's undercurrentsthe underside of a car
b : facing or protruding downward —often used in combination the undersurface of a leaf
2 : lower in rank or authority : subordinate —often used in combination the undersecretary of defense
3 : lower than usual, proper, or desired in amount, quality, or degree —often used in combination undernourished children
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Synonyms & Antonyms for under
Synonyms: Adverb
Synonyms: Preposition
Antonyms: Adverb
Antonyms: Preposition
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Examples of under in a Sentence
Adverb
Pull the bed sheets tight then fold the ends under. He turned under his shirt's collar. The whale surfaced briefly then dove under again. The bridge was too low for the ship to sail under. A score of 60 is needed to pass; anything under is failing. They had to put me under for surgery.Preposition
They couldn't climb over the wall, so they dug a hole under it. Draw a line under each word you don't know. We sat under a tree and rested a while. I'm wearing a sweater under my jacket. The ball rolled under the car. How long can you hold your breath under water? The cafe is under new management. The army captured three forts while under the general's command. He has been under a lot of pressure at work lately. You will be under anesthesia during the operation.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb
Tickets range from $59 to $84, with ages 18 and under half off for all performances. — BostonGlobe.com, "A trip to Neverland, voyage on a Yellow Submarine, and dream the Impossible Dream," 5 July 2018 Cost: $15 adults, $8 children 3-12, $7.50 for seniors 65 and older (free until 3 p.m. July 25-27), free for kids 2 and under and active military with ID. — Annie Alleman, Aurora Beacon-News, "County fairs are a throwback for bustling suburbs," 5 July 2018 Juniors 16 and under receive complimentary grounds admission when accompanied by an adult. — Teddy Greenstein, chicagotribune.com, "Ageless Bernhard Langer brings his game to Exmoor in Highland Park for Senior Players Championship," 5 July 2018 When Legoland’s parent company bought Cypress Gardens in 2010 and turned it into a theme park for kids age 12 and under, a lot of moving and renovating of rides had to be done. — Marjie Lambert, miamiherald, "Tower of Terror too scary? More kid-friendly rides are coming to Florida theme parks," 14 June 2018 Cost for children is $9.99 for the first hour for ages 6 and under; $5.99 extra hours; $14.99 for first hour for ages 7 and up; $8.99 extra hours. — Sonja Haller, azcentral, "Best kids things to do in Phoenix this June: Westgate, Phoenix Art Museum, movie nights," 1 June 2018 The arguments and performance of Virjee and lead attorney Melissa Coxey, who works as IMPD's legal counsel, have since come under intense criticism. — James Briggs, Indianapolis Star, "City attorney resigns after failed case against officers who shot Aaron Bailey," 23 May 2018 Pruitt serves as area superintendent of the 45 schools covered under Achieve 180, the district's $15.8 million plan to improve performance at its longest-struggling schools. — Jacob Carpenter, Houston Chronicle, "HISD administrator leading turnaround schools up for top job in Jacksonville," 15 May 2018 And that revenue—essentially, fees per transaction for transferring funds—will come under threat as competitors offer free transfers, hoping to make profits from ancillary services. — The Economist, "The best of timesWho gains and who loses from more financial inclusion," 3 May 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition
Children who arrived with their parents but were separated from them at the border are now considered to fall under the same umbrella. — Jean Guerrero, Glamour, "We've Seen Pictures of Undocumented Boys in Government Facilities. Where Are the Girls?," 13 July 2018 The degree to which Mr. Trump presses the Russian leader over Moscow’s actions is expected to come under intense scrutiny. — Rebecca Ballhaus, WSJ, "Trump Says He Expects to ‘Get Along’ With Putin at Summit," 12 July 2018 The next boss will nonetheless come under close scrutiny. — The Economist, "Despite falling foul of the #MeToo movement, Lululemon is soaring," 12 July 2018 Strzok is on Capitol Hill Thursday to answer questions and defend himself, after his anti-Trump text messages with then-FBI official Lisa Page placed him under intense scrutiny, particularly from Republicans. — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, "Trey Gowdy vs. Peter Strzok: 15 minutes of fiery exchanges," 12 July 2018 The Everest feats, meanwhile, started coming under scrutiny. — Nick Heil, Outside Online, "Are Kilian Jornet's Speed Records Too Good to Be True?," 12 July 2018 Lucas confessed to 600 unsolved murders and claimed to have killed thousands, but authorities were only able to link him to as many as 10 slayings and Lucas’ prolific admissions of guilt (later retracted) have come under scrutiny by experts. — PEOPLE.com, "Serial Killers Who Inspired Haunting Hollywood Portrayals," 12 July 2018 Also under scrutiny is the paycheck for the executive director of the island’s fiscal control board, which the U.S. Congress installed to right the island’s fiscal accounts. — Fortune, "Puerto Rico's Bankrupt Utility Has No Leader After Pay Scandal," 12 July 2018 Basically, baseball teams should want people under the age of 35 to attend their games. — Andrew Joseph, For The Win, "Minor league team makes millennials angry with its Millennial Night promotion," 12 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Hospital staff told the deputy Rangel left the room and walked out of the hospital despite being under arrest, court documents show. — Jay R. Jordan, Houston Chronicle, "Houston DWI suspect who escaped from hospital captured 5 days later," 18 June 2018 After the two boys were moved into the police car, an officer at the end of Lindell's video said the boys were not under arrest. — Ryan W. Miller, USA TODAY, "A police officer pointed his gun at 4 unarmed, black teens. Now police are investigating," 12 July 2018 The focus of this administration and the Congress should be on addressing the factors that contribute to the under count of minorities rather than advocating for untested questions that undermine full participation in the Census. — Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY, "Census urged to exclude undocumented immigrants in congressional seat count," 8 June 2018 The restrictions are part of a broader campaign against corruption and capital flight, in which big-ticket foreign purchases like soccer clubs have come under scrutiny as possible money-laundering ventures. — New York Times, "China Won’t Play in This World Cup. It Still Hopes to Profit.," 30 May 2018 Ted Lieu of California and Don Beyer of Virginia, which noted that some of the matters may already be under review as part of other inspector general investigations into Pruitt's behavior while atop the agency. — Sophie Tatum And Rene Marsh, CNN, "EPA inspector general details numerous reviews into Scott Pruitt's actions," 27 Apr. 2018 The age 2 and under hunt starts at 10:30 a.m.; age 3 to 5 hunt at 10:45; age 6 to 10 hunt at 11. — Amy Ellis, courant.com, "Easter Egg Hunts And Bunny Breakfasts Galore In CT," 19 Mar. 2018 This incident was under investigation as part of a broader look into how the FBI and Justice Department handled themselves during the most recent presidential election. — Alex Ward, Vox, "Andrew McCabe’s firing and Trump’s anti-Mueller tirade, explained," 19 Mar. 2018 Well in some elections, the difference between win and loss is much smaller than the under vote count. — Patricia Dillon, Houston Chronicle, "Villager Q & A: Steve Leakey, president & co-founder of the Voter Awareness Council," 16 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'under.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Learn More about under
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
The Over and Under of It
The Over and Under of It
9 phrases from above and below
Dictionary Entries near under
Statistics for under
Last Updated
6 Nov 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for under
The first known use of under was before the 12th century
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More Definitions for under
under
adverb
English Language Learners Definition of under
(Entry 1 of 2)
: in or into a position that is below or beneath something; especially : in a position that is below the surface of water
: in a forward direction that passes below something
: less than an expected or stated number or amount
under
prepositionEnglish Language Learners Definition of under (Entry 2 of 2)
: in or to a lower place than (something) : below or beneath (something)
: guided or managed by (a person or group)
: controlled or affected by (something)
See the full definition for under in the English Language Learners Dictionary
under
adverb
\
Kids Definition of under
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : in or into a position below or beneath something The dog squeezed under the fence.
2 : below some quantity or level ten dollars or under
under
prepositionKids Definition of under (Entry 2 of 3)
1 : lower than and topped or sheltered by under a tree
2 : below the surface of under the sea
3 : in or into such a position as to be covered or hidden by I wore a sweater under my jacket.
4 : commanded or guided by Many soldiers served under George Washington.
5 : controlled or managed by The restaurant is under new management.
6 : affected or influenced by the action or effect of The disease is under treatment.
7 : within the division or grouping of That information is under this heading.
8 : less or lower than (as in size, amount, or rank) The candy costs under a dollar. The package weighs under two pounds.
under
adjectiveKids Definition of under (Entry 3 of 3)
1 : lying or placed below or beneath
2
: lower in position or authority
under
adverb
\
Medical Definition of under
(Entry 1 of 3)
: in or into a condition of unconsciousness put the patient under prior to surgery
under
prepositionMedical Definition of under (Entry 2 of 3)
: receiving or using the action or application of an operation performed under local anesthesia
under
adjectiveMedical Definition of under (Entry 3 of 3)
: being in an induced state of unconsciousness given intravenously when the patient is under— C. A. Birch
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