underneath

1 of 2

preposition

un·​der·​neath ˌən-dər-ˈnēth 

1

a

: directly beneath

write the date underneath the address

b

: close under especially so as to be hidden

treachery lying underneath a mask of friendliness

wore a swimsuit underneath his slacks

2

: under subjection to

underneath

2 of 2

adverb

1

: under or below an object or a surface : beneath

2

: on the lower side

underneath adjective

Synonyms

Adverb

• beneath
• under
• below

Examples of underneath in a Sentence

Preposition

He hid the envelope underneath his coat.

She slipped a note underneath the door.

The ball rolled underneath the car.

He lives in the apartment underneath mine.

There was gum stuck underneath the table.

Underneath her calm exterior was a nervous woman with a hot temper.

They actually had a lot in common underneath their obvious differences.

Adverb

He wore a white sweater with a red shirt underneath.

She lifted up the rock and found ants crawling underneath.

The car had rust underneath.

Recent Examples on the Web

Preposition

Sylvia said all three were transported in critical condition and added that one victim had been trapped underneath the helicopter. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025

Daily Stride Comfort No-show Socks There is nothing that bugs me more than no-show socks that curl up underneath your foot minutes into wearing them. —Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025

Adverb

According to the Tate collection in the UK, artist Elizabeth Siddal posed for Millais over a four month period in a bath full of water kept warm by lamps underneath. —Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 3 Oct. 2025

Since its initial filing to go public on the Nasdaq, Cerebras has shifted its focus away from selling systems and more toward providing a cloud service for accepting incoming queries to models that use its chips underneath. —Jordan Novet, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Preposition

Middle English undernethe, preposition & adverb, from Old English underneothan, from under + neothan below — more at beneath

First Known Use

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing underneath

• the underneath
• underneath it all

Rhymes for underneath

• beneath
• bequeath
• neath
• sheath
• teeth
• wreath

Kids Definition

underneath

1 of 2 preposition

un·​der·​neath ˌən-dər-ˈnēth 

1

: right under

wore their bathing suits underneath their clothes

2

: under the control of

underneath

2 of 2 adverb

1

: under or below an object or an outside part

soaked through the jacket to the shirt underneath

2

: on the lower side

a pot blackened underneath