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 below—
Times Literary Supplement
Times 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
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
: something that is below
: written or discussed lower on the same page or on a following page
the below list
Synonyms
Adverb
Preposition
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 WebLydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2024
Explore the rest of these Amazon vacuum deals below and give your cleaning routine a boost.
—Nina Derwin, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 June 2024
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 23 June 2024
Many of the students were testing below grade level in literacy and math in their native language of Spanish.
—Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 23 June 2024
Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 11 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
Talia Abbas, Vogue, 21 June 2024
Update: Shortly after the unintentional leak, the below teaser trailer for Civilization VII launched Friday afternoon, alongside a Steam listing promising a full reveal in August 2024, ahead of a planned 2025 release.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 7 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for below 
Adverb
Shop the travel essentials, all from Amazon, below, starting from $12.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2024
Explore the rest of these Amazon vacuum deals below and give your cleaning routine a boost.
—Nina Derwin, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 June 2024
Preposition
Neville manages to get below the surface to uncover the elements that formed Martin as a person, chief among them being a fraught relationship with his father Glenn, who was a frustrated performer himself and seems to have been stingy in showing affection to his son or expressing pride in him.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 23 June 2024
Many of the students were testing below grade level in literacy and math in their native language of Spanish.
—Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 23 June 2024
Noun
Get to know Jordan by reading this rapid-fire Q-and-A below.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 11 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
Adjective
From coveted designer iterations to forever classics, take your pick from the below sneakers for women that'll never go out of style.
—Talia Abbas, Vogue, 21 June 2024
Update: Shortly after the unintentional leak, the below teaser trailer for Civilization VII launched Friday afternoon, alongside a Steam listing promising a full reveal in August 2024, ahead of a planned 2025 release.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 7 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for below
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.
Dictionary Entries Near below
Cite this Entry
“Below.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/below. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
below
1 of 2 adverb
be·low
bi-ˈlō 
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 correct—W. J. Brennan, Jr.
W. 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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