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
Izzy Baskette, People.com, 14 July 2025
The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division.
—Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
Camille Berry, Vogue, 15 July 2025
The urgency is growing: Chinese goods priced far below local standards are exerting additional downward pressure on domestic manufacturers.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 14 July 2025
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 2 June 2025
The below are shining examples of everything a lip gloss should be.
—Claire Sullivan, WWD, 7 Aug. 2024
Matthew L. Roberts, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025
Week-by-week full NFL TV schedule Use the below week-by-week list to see the full NFL schedule along with national Thursday, Sunday and Monday night games.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for below
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adverb
Join me in mimicking Hathaway’s warm-weather look by shopping for similar tees, skirts, and shoes from Amazon, Nordstrom, Quince, and more below.
—Izzy Baskette, People.com, 14 July 2025
The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division.
—Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
Preposition
The nori for Marin Coastal Gin is hand-harvested from the beaches below the rugged bluffs of the Sonoma Coast by Heidi Herrmann, proprietor of Strong Arm Farm.
—Camille Berry, Vogue, 15 July 2025
The urgency is growing: Chinese goods priced far below local standards are exerting additional downward pressure on domestic manufacturers.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 14 July 2025
Noun
Trigger Warning: The below contains mention of self harm.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 2 June 2025
The below are shining examples of everything a lip gloss should be.
—Claire Sullivan, WWD, 7 Aug. 2024
Adjective
Although the Practice Unit relates to both Form 3520 and Form 3520-A penalties, the below summary taken from the Practice Unit focuses solely on the Form 3520-A penalties.
Penalties.
—Matthew L. Roberts, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025
Week-by-week full NFL TV schedule Use the below week-by-week list to see the full NFL schedule along with national Thursday, Sunday and Monday night games.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 27 June 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 20 Jul. 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
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