SINCE 1828
under
adverb
un·der
| \ ˈən-dər
\
\
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
below, beneath, neath [dialect]
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
The Gaza Health Ministry said the latest deaths brought to 18 the number of minors, age 18 and under, killed in the past four months. — Fox News, "Thousands bury 11-year-old, 2 others killed by Israeli fire," 28 July 2018 On Fridays, the museum remains open until 7 p.m. Museum admission for nonmembers is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and free for students and those 18 and under. — Graydon Megan, chicagotribune.com, "Elmhurst Art Museum opens Mies van der Rohe exhibit," 11 June 2018 The Summer Food Service Program was created to fill that void and provide children 18 and under free nutritious meals while school is out, according to the IDOE website. — Chris Sims, Indianapolis Star, "Where Indianapolis area kids can get free meals over summer," 6 June 2018 General museum admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-12 and free for members, active military members and children ages 2 and under. — Megan Becka, cleveland.com, "Hale Farm & Village celebrates 60 years as museum, announces events," 1 Feb. 2018 Wrigley Field: Fans 2 and under are admitted to regular season Cubs games without a ticket, provided they are seated on the lap of a parent or guardian. — Audrey Gorden, RedEye Chicago, "Take the kids: Chicago venues' policies on children," 11 May 2017 That means that round-trip fares for children 11 and under start around $60. — Bridget Hallinan, Condé Nast Traveler, "12 Days of Deals: Kids Fly Free on SAS," 7 Dec. 2018 Nearly half of 10-to-12-year-olds have their own smartphones; nearly 1.5 million children age 11 and under have active Snapchat accounts. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: Why Facebook banned Alex Jones — and why Twitter didn’t," 13 Aug. 2018 Entry is $5, $4 for seniors and veterans with military ID and free for ages 12 and under. — Luann Gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "Top 5 events in Cincinnati this weekend," 21 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition
That’s the system that’s been in place for over two decades under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994. — Korin Miller, SELF, "The FDA Will Finally Crack Down on Dietary Supplements—Here's What Experts Have to Say," 11 Feb. 2019 The protocol was devised to ensure that messages of any length could be sent from one computer to another even if parts of the network were inoperative—if the country were under nuclear attack, for example. — Popular Mechanics, "The Death of the Internet," 7 Feb. 2019 Dozens of poor towns in the southern Philippines voted Wednesday on whether to join a new self-governing Muslim region in a test of a fragile peace process that has come under attack from suicide bombers linked to Islamic State. — Jake Maxwell Watts, WSJ, "Muslim Voters Brave Terrorism Threats in Southern Philippines," 6 Feb. 2019 The cause of the elevator mishap is under investigation. — Verena Dobnik, The Seattle Times, "Woman rescued after 3 days in New York City elevator," 28 Jan. 2019 This is the new theme, for two years until the Wall is finished (under construction now), of the Republican Party. — Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, "The Week in Washington: Trump’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day," 27 Jan. 2019 Get your eyelashes ready: Kylie Jenner is set to launch a product called Kylash under her Kylie Cosmetics makeup line. — Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, "It Looks Like Kylie Jenner is About to Drop a Kylie Cosmetics Mascara Called Kylash," 23 Jan. 2019 The frame goes just partway up the Surface tablet, providing plenty of area for the tablet to cool itself under load. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Hands on: The Kensington SD7000 dock turns a Surface tablet into a Surface Studio," 21 Jan. 2019 Apparently the fluted shape produces more aroma-rich CO2 just under the imbiber's nose, the better to enhance the flavor. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "The secret to champagne’s universal appeal is the physics of bubbles," 31 Dec. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
That role is now the under scrutiny by American authorities. — Natasha Khan, WSJ, "Meng Wanzhou, Huawei CFO and Founder’s Daughter, Has Been Face of Secretive Company," 6 Dec. 2018 After your face serum and moisturizer, apply a gentle eye cream to the under eyes and lids, like Kiehl’s avocado treatment. — Jenna Rennert, Vogue, "The Definitive Guide to Preventing Dry Skin—From a Top Dermatologist," 26 Oct. 2018 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. 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
30 Jan 2019
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
un·der
| \ ˈən-dər
\
\
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
Hint:
The adjective under is often used in combination with other words.
- underside
under
adverb
un·der
| \ ˈən-dər
\
\
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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