as in underground
being, situated, or operating beneath the surface of the earth a sandy wasteland that gave little hint of its subsurface wealth

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subsurface Evaluation protocols of subsurface measurements and training of all rig site personnel have improved the drilling economics of this geothermal project. Ian Palmer, Forbes, 19 May 2022 Shallow pools of subsurface water froze and fractured the surface again and again. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 22 Apr. 2022 This is an important scientific mission tasked with searching for ice at the south pole and using a one-meter drill to prospect for subsurface samples. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 Apr. 2022 So Marco Mastrogiuseppe, a researcher on the Cassini team who had used instruments like RADAR to map subsurface water on Mars, decided to try something. Liz Kruesi, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2015 See All Example Sentences for subsurface
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subsurface
Adjective
  • Middle Tennessee's erosion-prone limestone and other hard bedrock have historically precluded Nashville leadership from exploring underground transportation.
    Hadley Hitson, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Sep. 2025
  • But Edison’s bulb was just one piece of a much more complicated system that included an efficient dynamo – the powerful machine that generated electricity – plus a network of underground wires and new types of lamps.
    Ernest Freeberg, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The motor court, which appears to float above the entrance to the subterranean garage, leads to the double-height foyer with ebony polished concrete floors and a floating staircase set against a wall of glass.
    Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Fortunately for him, though, his subterranean home is no longer safe, presumably thanks to those aforementioned radiation storms.
    Mike Miller, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Subsurface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subsurface. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.

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