Standard Lemma guide

underneath

adj · adv · noun · prep · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌʌndəˈniːθ/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada: /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
  • US: /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
  • US: /ˌʌndɚˈnið/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːθ
  • rhymes with -iːð
  • CMU ARPABET: AH2 N D ER0 N IY1 TH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Under, lower.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • You can have the underneath bunk.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Below; in a place beneath.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • I can't take my sweater off: I amn't wearing anything else on underneath.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

On the underside or lower face.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The bottom of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Examples

  • The underneath of the aircraft was painted blue.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A background radio sound track played during a specific announcement or program.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

prep

Meaning 6

Under, below, beneath.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Underneath the water, all was calm.
  • We flew underneath the bridge.
  • We looked underneath the table.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

prep

Meaning 7

Under the control or power of.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • There was little freedom underneath the Nazi jackboot.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adverb

Meaning 8

under or below an object or a surface; at a lower place or level; directly beneath

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • we could see the original painting underneath
  • a house with a good foundation underneath

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

adverb

Meaning 9

on the lower or downward side; on the underside of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a chest of drawers all scratched underneath

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English undernethe, undernethen, from Old English underneoþan (“underneath”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *underniþer. Equivalent to under- + neath.

Across languages

Translations

101 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: долен (dolen) — under, lower
  • Chickasaw: nota' — under, lower
  • Finnish: alempi — under, lower
  • Finnish: ala- — under, lower
  • Finnish: alapuolinen — under, lower
  • French: du dessous — under, lower
  • French: d'en dessous — under, lower
  • Hindi: नीचे (nīce) — under, lower
  • Turkish: altı — under, lower
  • Turkish: alt kısmı — under, lower
  • Ottoman Turkish: آشاغی (aşağı) — under, lower
  • Arabic: تَحْت (taḥt) — below; in a place beneath
  • Arabic: أَسْفَل (ʔasfal) — below; in a place beneath
  • Bulgarian: долу (dolu) — below; in a place beneath
  • Catalan: sota — below; in a place beneath
  • Chamicuro: yajkana — below; in a place beneath
  • Chickasaw: nota' — below; in a place beneath
  • Esperanto: malsupre — below; in a place beneath
  • Faliscan: ifra (ifra) — below; in a place beneath
  • Finnish: alla — below; in a place beneath
  • Finnish: alapuolella — below; in a place beneath
  • French: dessous — below; in a place beneath
  • German: unten — below; in a place beneath
  • Hungarian: alatt — below; in a place beneath
  • Irish: ar íochtar — below; in a place beneath
  • Latin: subtus — below; in a place beneath
  • Latin: subter — below; in a place beneath
  • Navajo: bitłʼáahgi — below; in a place beneath
  • Navajo: bitłʼáahdi — below; in a place beneath
  • Navajo: biyaagi — below; in a place beneath
  • Navajo: biyaadi — below; in a place beneath
  • Polish: pod spodem — below; in a place beneath
  • Portuguese: abaixo — below; in a place beneath
  • Romanian: sub — below; in a place beneath
  • Serbo-Croatian: ispod — below; in a place beneath
  • Serbo-Croatian: pod — below; in a place beneath
  • Spanish: abajo — below; in a place beneath
  • Turkish: altında — below; in a place beneath
  • Turkish: altı — below; in a place beneath
  • Ottoman Turkish: آشاغی (aşağı) — below; in a place beneath
  • Arabic: تَحْت (taḥt) — on the underside or lower face of
  • Arabic: أَسْفَل (ʔasfal) — on the underside or lower face of
  • Bulgarian: отдолу (otdolu) — on the underside or lower face of
  • Catalan: sota — on the underside or lower face of
  • Chickasaw: nota' — on the underside or lower face of
  • Finnish: alla — on the underside or lower face of
  • Finnish: alapuolella — on the underside or lower face of
  • German: unten — on the underside or lower face of
  • Hungarian: alatt — on the underside or lower face of
  • Middle Low German: under — on the underside or lower face of
  • Middle Low German: undene — on the underside or lower face of
  • Middle Low German: dāle — on the underside or lower face of
  • Middle Low German: nēden — on the underside or lower face of
  • Polish: pod spodem — on the underside or lower face of
  • Spanish: por debajo — on the underside or lower face of
  • Finnish: alapuoli — the part under or lower
  • Finnish: alaosa — the part under or lower
  • French: dessous — the part under or lower
  • Hindi: निचला (niclā) — the part under or lower
  • Polish: spód — the part under or lower
  • Polish: dół — the part under or lower
  • Russian: ни́жняя сторона́ (nížnjaja storoná) — the part under or lower
  • Spanish: bajos — the part under or lower
  • Turkish: altı — the part under or lower
  • Ottoman Turkish: آشاغی (aşağı) — the part under or lower
  • Finnish: tunnussävel — background sound track
  • Finnish: tunnari — background sound track
  • Arabic: تَحْت (taḥt) — under, below, beneath
  • Arabic: أَسْفَل (ʔasfal) — under, below, beneath
  • Bulgarian: под (pod) — under, below, beneath
  • Catalan: sota — under, below, beneath
  • Chickasaw: nota' — under, below, beneath
  • Czech: pod — under, below, beneath
  • Finnish: alla — under, below, beneath
  • Finnish: alta — under, below, beneath
  • Finnish: alle — under, below, beneath
  • Finnish: alapuolella — under, below, beneath
  • Finnish: alapuolelta — under, below, beneath
  • Finnish: alapuolelle — under, below, beneath
  • French: en dessous — under, below, beneath
  • French: dessous — under, below, beneath
  • French: sous — under, below, beneath
  • German: unterhalb — under, below, beneath
  • Hindi: नीचे (nīce) — under, below, beneath
  • Irish: faoi bhun — under, below, beneath
  • Latin: sub — under, below, beneath
  • Polish: pod — under, below, beneath
  • Portuguese: por baixo — under, below, beneath
  • Russian: под (pod) — under, below, beneath
  • Spanish: bajo — under, below, beneath
  • Tocharian B: ñor — under, below, beneath
  • Turkish: alt — under, below, beneath
  • Catalan: sota — under the control or power of
  • Czech: vespod — under the control or power of
  • Finnish: alla — under the control or power of
  • Finnish: alaisuudessa — under the control or power of
  • French: sous — under the control or power of
  • Portuguese: sob — under the control or power of
  • Russian: под (pod) — under the control or power of
  • Spanish: bajo — under the control or power of
  • Turkish: emri altında — under the control or power of
Real reading context

underneath in complete knowledge articles