below
- 1Lower in spatial position than.
The valley lay hundreds of feet below the summit.
Workers discovered old clay pipes buried below the foundation.
UsageOften after a distance (ten meters below the surface); for something directly underneath or covered, under is usually better: under the table.
Similarbeneath, under, underneath
- 2At a later point in the same text or document.
Refer to the table below for the complete schedule.
As discussed below, the survey results were inconclusive.
UsageUsually right after a noun (the table below) or at the end of a clause (as shown below); for earlier parts, use above.
Similarlater
Oppositeabove
- 3Lower than in value, price, rank, concentration, or some other measurable quality.
Inflation remained below two percent throughout the year.
He was reassigned to a position below his former assistant.
UsageUsually with a figure or level: below average, below zero, below 2 percent; for ages, under is more usual: under 18.
Similarunder
- 4Underneath or lower down, in or to a physical place beneath where one is or beneath what was just mentioned, such as a lower floor of a building.
Far below, the river wound through the canyon.
She tossed the rope down to the climbers below.
UsageUsed with no noun after it, often after another noun (the river below) or with far (far below).
Less common meanings
- 5Lower than zero degrees on a temperature scale, following a stated number of degrees.
By dawn the thermometer read fifteen below.
The road crew worked through a week of temperatures near thirty below.
UsageComes after the number: fifteen below. With no number, say below zero.
Oppositeabove
- 6On or to a lower deck of a ship, especially relative to the main deck.
The captain ordered everyone below as the waves grew.
Passengers slept below while the crew kept watch on deck.
UsageMost often go below, stay below or sleep below, with no noun after it; below decks is the fuller form.
Oppositetopside
Note
Shipboard speech uses the bare adverb as a destination. A captain goes below, passengers sleep below, and landlubbers lie down below. Ashore, the general "lower place" meaning covers the same move, where the level below is usually a floor of a building rather than a deck.
- 7Not befitting a person's rank or dignity; too lowly for them to do or notice.
The senator considered such petty squabbling below her.
The senior partner seemed to think that making his own coffee was below him.
UsageUsually with a person after it, often with think or consider: thought it below him. Beneath works the same way.
Similarbeneath
Note
Here rank turns into a judgment of dignity. Milton in 1670 writes of persons and their actions below all history, and Hallam in 1827 describes a man who thinks no fact below his regard. It shares its sense of rank with the "lower in rank" meaning.
- 8Downstream of a point on a river or stream.
The water turns muddy a few miles below the confluence.
Salmon congregate below the falls before attempting the leap.
Oppositeabove
- 9South of; farther south than.
The storm stalled just below the Tropic of Cancer.
Cotton once dominated the economy below the Mason-Dixon line.
Oppositeabove
- 10Downstage of; nearer the audience than.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From Middle English bilooghe, equivalent to the prefix be- combined with low.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Below comes from Middle English bilooghe and is equivalent to the prefix be- combined with low. en.wiktionary.org