beneath

American  

[bih-neeth, -neeth] / bɪˈniθ, -ˈnið /

adverb

1. below; in or to a lower place, position, state, or the like.

   Antonyms:

   above

2. underneath.

   heaven above and the earth beneath.

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preposition

1. below; under.

   beneath the same roof.

2. farther down than; underneath; lower in place than.

   The first drawer beneath the top one.

3. lower down on a slope than.

   beneath the crest of a hill.

4. inferior or less important, as in position, rank, or power.

   A captain is beneath a major.

5. unworthy of; below the level or dignity of.

   to regard others as beneath one; behavior that was beneath contempt.

beneath British  

/ bɪˈniːθ /

preposition

1. below, esp if covered, protected, or obscured by

2. not as great or good as would be demanded by

   beneath his dignity

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adverb

1. below; underneath

Usage

What is a basic definition of beneath? Beneath is a preposition that means below or under. Beneath can also describe something that is unworthy of someone. Less commonly, beneath is used as an adverb to mean below or underneath. If something is positioned beneath something else, it is under or below it. Beneath is not used as often as words such as below or under. Beneath is most often used when describing a location underground or underneath a surface. In a similar sense, beneath can mean something is lower or farther down than something else.

• Real-life examples: You can stand beneath an umbrella to keep the rain off you. The G key is beneath the T key on a typical QWERTY keyboard.
• Used in a sentence: The pirate treasure was buried in the sand beneath two palm trees.

Beneath can also describe something that is considered unworthy of someone or their dignity.

• Used in a sentence: My rich aunt thinks that shopping at a grocery store is beneath her.

Beneath can also be used as an adverb to describe something as happening below or underneath something.

• Used in a sentence: The dojo master sat on the upper balcony and watched his students training beneath. 

Related Words

See below.

Etymology

Origin of beneath

before 900; Middle English benethe, Old English beneothan, equivalent to be- be- + neothan below, akin to Old High German nidana. See nether

Explanation

Things that are under something else are beneath it. A star gazer is beneath the night sky, and tropical fish swim beneath the surface of the water. When one apple hangs lower on a tree than another, the first apple is beneath the second. You can also use the adjective beneath in a figurative way, to describe something that ranks lower or has a low worth or status: "He didn't want to play soccer at all, because he thought the Junior Varsity team was beneath him." The Old English root is beneoðan, combining be-, "by," and neoðan, "below."

Example Sentences

A baby boy whose skeleton was found beneath floorboards could have died up to 300 years ago, an inquest has heard, adding more mystery to what happened to him.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Women typically store more fat beneath the skin and tend to show higher levels of inflammation-related markers such as C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

Injured on the first night of the battle, he was resting in the pouring rain beneath a tree when Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman found him.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

Tehran still has stores of highly enriched uranium buried beneath its Isfahan facility and likely at Natanz, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

She did not, but began picking at something beneath one of her claws.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman