# below

Pronunciation: say "bi-LOH" US /bɪˈloʊ/, UK /bɪˈləʊ/

## Preposition

1. Lower in spatial position than.
   - Simple: In a lower place than something else.
   - _The valley lay hundreds of feet below the summit._
   - _Workers discovered old clay pipes buried below the foundation._
3. Lower than in value, price, rank, concentration, or some other measurable quality.
   - Simple: Less than a number, amount, or level.
   - _Inflation remained below two percent throughout the year._
   - _He was reassigned to a position below his former assistant._
7. Not befitting a person's rank or dignity; too lowly for them to do or notice.
   - Simple: Not good enough for someone's position or pride.
   - _The senator considered such petty squabbling below her._
   - _The senior partner seemed to think that making his own coffee was below him._
8. Downstream of a point on a river or stream.
   - Simple: Farther down a river or stream than a place.
   - _The water turns muddy a few miles below the confluence._
   - _Salmon congregate below the falls before attempting the leap._
9. South of; farther south than.
   - Simple: Farther south than a place.
   - _The storm stalled just below the Tropic of Cancer._
   - _Cotton once dominated the economy below the Mason-Dixon line._

## Adverb

2. At a later point in the same text or document.
   - Simple: Later in the same piece of writing.
   - _Refer to the table below for the complete schedule._
   - _As discussed below, the survey results were inconclusive._
4. Underneath 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.
   - Simple: In or to a lower place, for example on a lower floor.
   - _Far below, the river wound through the canyon._
   - _She tossed the rope down to the climbers below._
5. Lower than zero degrees on a temperature scale, following a stated number of degrees.
   - Simple: Colder than zero degrees, used when saying how cold it is.
   - _By dawn the thermometer read fifteen below._
   - _The road crew worked through a week of temperatures near thirty below._
6. On or to a lower deck of a ship, especially relative to the main deck.
   - Simple: On or to a lower level inside a ship.
   - _The captain ordered everyone below as the waves grew._
   - _Passengers slept below while the crew kept watch on deck._

## Other meanings

- (preposition) Downstage of; nearer the audience than.

## Origin

From Middle English bilooghe, equivalent to the prefix be- combined with low.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/below (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).