below

1 of 4

adverb

be·​low bi-ˈlō How to pronounce below (audio)
1
: in or to a lower place
gazed at the water below
voices from the apartment below
2
a
: on earth
improvements in conditions here belowTimes Literary Supplement
b
: in or to Hades or hell
3
: on or to a lower floor or deck
ordered the crew below
4
a
: in, to, at, or by a lower rank or number
suitable for children age 10 and below
b
: below zero
the temperature was 20 below
5
: lower on the same page or on a following page
See the graph below.
6
: under the surface of the water
thirty fathoms below

below

2 of 4

preposition

1
a
: lower in place, rank, or value than : under
Our apartment is below theirs.
Her skirt reached below her knees.
The sun dipped below the horizon.
b
: down river from
moored a mile below town
c
: south of
located 20 miles below the nation's capital
2
: inferior to (as in rank)
A lieutenant is below a captain.
3
: not suitable to the rank of : beneath
considers such work below him

below

3 of 4

noun

: something that is below

below

4 of 4

adjective

: written or discussed lower on the same page or on a following page
the below list

Examples of below in a Sentence

Adverb The pencil rolled off the desk and fell to the floor below. The pilot looked down at the sea far below. We heard the elevator stop at the floor below. They secured the goods on deck and went below. All personnel, captain and below, were ordered to report for duty. Preposition Our apartment is below theirs. We could see only clouds below us. The diver descended below 25 meters. The sun disappeared below the horizon. a spot directly below us the valley far below us Temperatures were below average all week. She worked for wage rates below those of other workers. He ranks far below his superior.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
Give your spring closet a refresh with denim button-up shirts inspired by Julianne Moore with these stylish and lightweight options below. Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 The excerpt below reflects my book, Leadership From Bad to Worse, which, atypically, is not about how to develop good leaders but how to stop bad ones. Barbara Kellerman, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024 Only time will tell, but tune in to The Masked Singer Wednesdays on Fox at 8 p.m. ET/PT to find out. Watch Hart's big reveal below. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 The Company will host a live webcast to discuss the results, today, March 6, 2024, at 1:30 PM ET (details below) - access it here. Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 Check out the links below to find all of our coverage of the 2024 solar eclipse. Joe Mutascio, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Find all of the dates for the Insano World Tour below. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 Listen to a preview of the upcoming Pharrell and Miley collab below. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2024 But due to warmer air sitting just above ground level, branches and cables are not as cold as the concrete and asphalt below, so Melo said they’ll be spared this time around. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024
Preposition
Biden will also call on Congress to provide a one-year credit of up to $10,000 for families who sell their starter homes, so long as their houses are below the median price in their county. Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com. Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024 Supporters say that keeping that spending below the rate of inflation is tantamount to a cut, forcing agencies to be more frugal and focus manpower on top priorities. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2024 This is just below the 95% threshold recommended by the WHO. Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 By comparison, the company's market share in the United States dropped below 10% last year, setting the stage for a reset as the company saw its U.S. sales numbers surpassed by South Korea's Hyundai. Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 The body suit included small straps that wrapped below her shoulders, exposing her back. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 Jahn said some research has found there is still a 10% to 20% possibility of avoiding an ice-free Arctic altogether if the global temperature stays below 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming on a 20- to 30-year mean. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 But as the shape relaxes below the waist, the fit above must change accordingly. Max Berlinger, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2024
Noun
Get to know Jordan by reading this rapid-fire Q-and-A below. Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 9 Feb. 2024 Peacock partnered with Civic Entertainment Group on producing and publicizing the campaign as well as receipt design for the below. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2023 While options in classic black are to be expected, like the below from Vince, Veronica Beard, and Cos, tonal varieties in ivory, beige, and soft brown are especially fitting for spring. Laura Jackson, Vogue, 22 Mar. 2023 Based on design, durability, attachments and safety — all of the below have been verified to meet ASTM International standards — these are the best swing sets to buy for every age, need and budget. Alissa Schulman, Good Housekeeping, 15 Feb. 2023 Check out the below to see what's important when looking at a new showerhead. Alec Scherma, Good Housekeeping, 10 Jan. 2023 All of the below is said with love and respectfully. Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 7 Sep. 2022 All of the below is correct as of press time but subject to change by Riot Fest. Britt Julious, chicagotribune.com, 15 Sep. 2021 All of the below is correct as of press time but subject to change by Lollapalooza. Doug George, chicagotribune.com, 27 July 2021
Adjective
But the below products have 1/1000th of the lead found in the cinnamon applesauce made by Austrofoods, which the FDA points out measured between 2,270 to 5,110 parts per million in the cinnamon. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 However, Milwaukee was only 18-8 against teams with a below .500 record entering the night, the fewest amount of wins for any team in the top seven of the Eastern Conference standings. Brian Sampson, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Additionally, Bihar was chosen because of its below average use of oral rehydration salts (57% of diarrhea cases are treated with ORS compared to the national average of 61%); Karnataka has above average ORS use with 70% of the cases being treated with ORS. Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 27 Feb. 2024 Update:Registration for two of the below events, the Jr. NBA Skills Challenge and Jr. NBA Stem Clinic, is now full, but spectators are welcome at either event. Rory Appleton, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Feb. 2024 The below was the final barrier to the next leg up. Clem Chambers, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 Here’s hoping every one of the below items buoys the vibe. Chloe Malle, Vogue, 23 Nov. 2023 The below account is drawn from our conversation that day. Joseph Fenity, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2024 At previous premieres for the film, Emma Stone has gone for similarly delicate gowns, like the below silver slip dress accented with a periwinkle shawl, worn to a U.K. screening in December. Lindy Segal, Glamour, 8 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'below.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English bilooghe, from bi by + looghe low, adjective

Preposition

derivative of below entry 1

Noun

noun derivative of below entry 1

Adjective

adjective derivative of below entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

circa 1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1828, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1870, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of below was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near below

Cite this Entry

“Below.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/below. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

below

1 of 2 adverb
be·​low bi-ˈlō How to pronounce below (audio)
1
: in or to a lower place
2
: on a lower floor or deck
3
: below zero
the temperature was 20 below

below

2 of 2 preposition
: lower than
the diver descends below 25 meters
below average
selling below cost

Legal Definition

below

1 of 2 adverb
be·​low
1
: in a lower court
the presumption that the decisions below…are correctW. J. Brennan, Jr.
2
: lower on the same page or on a following page
the paragraph below

below

2 of 2 preposition
: lower in place, rank, or value than

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