below

American  

[bih-loh] / bɪˈloʊ /

adverb

1. in or toward a lower place.

   Look out below!

2. on, in, or toward a lower level, as a lower deck of a ship.

   The captain of the ship went below.

3. beneath the surface of the water.

   Divers were sent below to view the wreck.

4. on earth.

   the fate of creatures here below.

5. in hell or the infernal regions.

6. at a later point on a page or in a text.

   See the illustration below.

7. in a lower rank or grade.

   He was demoted to the class below.

8. under zero on the temperature scale.

   The temperature in Buffalo was ten below this morning.

9. Theater. downstage.

10. Zoology. on the lower or ventral side.

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preposition

1. lower down than.

   below the knee.

2. lower in rank, degree, amount, rate, etc., than.

   below cost;

   below freezing.

3. too low or undignified to be worthy of; beneath.

   He considered such an action below his notice.

4. Theater. downstage of.

   There are two chairs below the table.

below British  

/ bɪˈləʊ /

preposition

1. at or to a position lower than; under

2. less than in quantity or degree

3. south of

4. downstream of

5. unworthy of; beneath

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adverb

1. at or to a lower position or place

2. at a later place (in something written)

   see below

3. archaic beneath heaven; on earth or in hell

Related Words

Below, under, beneath indicate position in some way lower than something else. Below implies being in a lower plane: below the horizon, the water line. Under implies being lower in a perpendicular line: The book is under the chair. Beneath may have a meaning similar to below, but more usually denotes being under so as to be covered, overhung, or overtopped: the pool beneath the falls.

Etymology

Origin of below

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English bilooghe; equivalent to be- + low ¹

Example Sentences

If you’re on Windows or Linux and want to enable the feature, follow the steps below.

From Salon

Australia holds roughly 37 days' worth of petrol in reserve, according to government figures, far below the 90-day minimum dictated by the International Energy Agency.

From Barron's

Brent crude oil briefly fell below $100 a barrel, heralding a surge in equity markets and a rally in U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

Having realized its error, the ECB cut its key rate in November, initiating a lengthy sequence that eventually took borrowing costs below zero.

From The Wall Street Journal

Russia is in the midst of a demographic crisis, with fertility rates at 1.4 children per woman, far below the 2.1 threshold that demographers say is needed to keep the population at its current level.

From Barron's

Related Words

• down