1
: in or to a lower position : below
the mountains and the towns beneath
2
: directly under : underneath
Look at the illustration and read what is beneath.
1
a
: in or to a lower position than : below
beneath the surface
b
: directly under
the ground beneath her feet
c
: at the foot of
a camp beneath a hill
2
: not suitable to the rank of : unworthy of
a job that is beneath his dignity
3
: under the control, pressure, or influence of
the chair sagged beneath his weight
4
: concealed by : under the guise of
a warm heart beneath a gruff manner
Examples of beneath in a Sentence
Adverb
the mountains and the towns beneath
the sky above and the earth beneath
an awning with chairs and tables beneath
The ground beneath is covered with flowers.
Preposition
the sky above us and the earth beneath us
just beneath the surface of the water
The painting is hanging on the wall with a plaque beneath it.
We had a picnic beneath a large tree.
The paper was hidden beneath a pile of books.
She wore a sweater beneath her coat.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jamie Hailstone, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
The actor wore a navy blue suit with coordinated blazer and trousers, along with a darker collared shirt worn unbuttoned and a white shirt beneath for a final layered look.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 18 July 2025
Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
In another of Salinger’s images, a constraint on the form that the future will take is already there: Lynne M., eighteen, shares her bedroom with her toddler daughter, whose white crib—beneath which lies a jumble of shoes and other detritus—mirrors her mother’s narrow white-metal daybed.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for beneath
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adverb
Permeable paving was also installed in carparks, walkways, and other hard surfaces to allow water to pass through and soak slowly into the ground beneath.
—Jamie Hailstone, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
The actor wore a navy blue suit with coordinated blazer and trousers, along with a darker collared shirt worn unbuttoned and a white shirt beneath for a final layered look.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 18 July 2025
Preposition
Yet beneath the spectacle is a story about conscience and guilt—a story of human connection that makes its revenge story all the more enrapturing.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
In another of Salinger’s images, a constraint on the form that the future will take is already there: Lynne M., eighteen, shares her bedroom with her toddler daughter, whose white crib—beneath which lies a jumble of shoes and other detritus—mirrors her mother’s narrow white-metal daybed.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for beneath
Cite this Entry
“Beneath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beneath. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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