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
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
Maggie Downs, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2025
Listen below and follow our playlists on Apple Music and Spotify.
—Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2025
Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Some didn’t respond, others outright declined comment, while four of them shared their thoughts, which are below.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
Andrew McGowan, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
The below-ground theme park, as historian Ashleigh Androsoff explains, offers tours purporting to tell two local stories.
—JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2025
Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
If any stains remain, use one of the below methods.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for below
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adverb
The panoramic view from the first launch point is unbeatable, though eight acres of dazzling protea blooms unfurl below, nearly stealing the show.
—Maggie Downs, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2025
Listen below and follow our playlists on Apple Music and Spotify.
—Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2025
Preposition
On the date of the incident, Dylan and her classmates were on a training platform about 16 feet below the surface.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Some didn’t respond, others outright declined comment, while four of them shared their thoughts, which are below.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
Watch an exclusive clip from the special below.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
The below-ground theme park, as historian Ashleigh Androsoff explains, offers tours purporting to tell two local stories.
—JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
In the below example, against Real Oviedo’s zonal scheme protecting the six-yard box, three players run away from goal and one to the near-post to attack Marcus Rashford’s outswinger, resulting in Araujo scoring.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
If any stains remain, use one of the below methods.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for below
Cite this Entry
“Below.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/below. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share