underlies

verb

present tense third-person singular of underlie
1
as in supports
to lie underneath A layer of rock underlies the topsoil.

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2
as in grounds
to form the basis or foundation of (something, such as an idea) The assumption that underlies their argument is faulty.

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Dissimilar Words

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 underlies Permafrost, a layer of ground made up of soil, rock and sediment, underlies nearly 15% of the land surface in the Northern Hemisphere. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 The same principle underlies brainwriting, a technique that reliably outperforms conventional brainstorming. — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 The same philosophy underlies a series of larger reforms already underway. — Bethany Mandel, The Washington Examiner, 16 Aug. 2026 This approach underlies the security of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum and, with RSA, helps secure modern internet traffic. — IEEE Spectrum, 7 July 2026 And that’s the question that underlies much of what’s onscreen in this perplexing, entertaining, frustrating picture. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 July 2026 But in making their arguments, the authors went further, addressing fundamental questions of politics by laying out the political theory that underlies that Constitution. — Jordan Cash, The Conversation, 8 June 2026 Training, both stressed, underlies all of it. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underlies
  1. supports
  2. grounds
  3. establishes
  4. reinforces
  5. rests
  6. bases
Verb
  • The company sees the rocket becoming a workhorse launcher of small to medium-size satellites down the road, and its infrastructure supports that vision.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • No data show salt crystals shift serotonin or cortisol, and no evidence supports magnesium absorption through the soles of the feet.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of supports
Verb
  • This shift grounds me in my value and elevates my networking skills instantly.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Book any balloon flight for the first morning of your stay, and if weather grounds it, that leaves some possibility of being moved to a subsequent day.
    — Scott Campbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of grounds
Verb
  • And organizations need to build an operational model that establishes clear lanes for AI to drive work and guardrails to prevent it from going off course.
    — Jason Kurtz, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Strong performance from a single router establishes one part of the picture, while the network tests show how the system performs when additional routing stages are involved.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of establishes
Verb
  • The detailed data reinforces hopes that the product could be a breakthrough treatment for COPD, a progressive lung disease that blocks airflow and makes breathing difficult.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Lai added that the trend reinforces content quality as the basis of the market’s stability and long-term resilience.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of reinforces
Verb
  • The National Academy of Sciences in 2003, and the American Psychological Association in a 2004 review, concluded that the polygraph rests more on theater than fact.
    — Brian O'Neill, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The Ultra 4's entire value proposition rests on its battery life.
    — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of rests
Verb
  • Currently, the Social Security Administration bases its COLA each year on average annual increases in the CPI-W, or the index for urban wage earners, from July through September.
    — Medora Lee, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The company currently has 230 employees, bases its research in Tel Aviv, and its operations in New York City.
    — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of bases

Browse Nearby Words

underlie
underlies
underline
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Cite this Entry

“Underlies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underlies. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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