below
below — adverb
1. at a place, level, or position that is lower than something else, or lower than
at a place, level, or position that is lower than something else, or lower than where the speaker is standing.
Wen stood on the cliff and watched the waves crash on the rocks below.
noun + below for 'lower than the speaker'
From the plane window, Jacob could see tiny villages below.
from + position + below
The kitchen is on the ground floor, and the laundry room is below.
below referring to a lower floor
A loud bang came from the apartment below at around midnight.
The climbers waved at their friends who were waiting below.
- far below
- directly below
- the floor below
- the apartment below
- underneath
more often used when something covers or is directly under another thing
- beneath
more formal or literary than 'below'
- above
the direct opposite for spatial position
Grammar Patterns
verb + below
from below
Usage Note
Often appears at the end of a clause with no following noun, because the lower place is understood from context.
Common Mistakes
2. smaller in number, amount, or level than a stated figure or standard.
smaller in number, amount, or level than a stated figure or standard.
Sales for the new phone fell below last year's figures by twelve percent.
fall below + numerical amount
Eitan's test score was just below the passing mark.
just below for narrowly under a level
Children below the age of six get into the museum free.
below + age
House prices in the small town stayed well below the national average.
- fall below
- drop below
- well below
- just below
- below average
Grammar Patterns
fall below
drop below
be below + amount
Usage Note
Often paired with quantity nouns (age, level, average, mark) and verbs of change (fall, drop, sink). Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about numbers and standards, not physical height.
Common Mistakes
3. used without a following noun to mean 'at a less senior level' or 'further down
used without a following noun to mean 'at a less senior level' or 'further down a ranking', when the reference point is clear from context.
Ines started two ranks below the team captain when she joined the squad.
ranks + below for organisational hierarchy
Our team finished the season three places below the league leaders.
places + below in standings
Anyone working below the manager has to file a weekly report.
She was promoted from the position below to head of design last month.
- ranks below
- places below
- the position below
- above
for higher rank or position
Grammar Patterns
rank + below
position + below
Usage Note
Subject is usually a person, role, or team. Often combines with rank-counting nouns (places, ranks, levels) before 'below'.
4. further down a page, or later within the same written text.
further down a page, or later within the same written text.
Please read the safety rules listed below before entering the laboratory.
noun + below pointing to later text
For Tokyo office hours and weekend pickup times, see below.
see below as a stand-alone reference
The chart below shows how sea levels have risen since 1980.
the [noun] below introducing a figure
Sign the form and write your phone number in the box below.
- see below
- as listed below
- the table below
- shown below
- following
as in 'the following table'; same idea, more formal
- hereinafter
very formal, mostly in legal documents
- above
for material already mentioned earlier in the text
Grammar Patterns
see below
as shown below
noun + below
Usage Note
Common in textbooks, contracts, instructions, and academic writing. Distinguish from sense 1: here 'below' refers to text or images further down a page, not to a physical lower place.
Common Mistakes
5. lower than zero degrees, used when talking about temperature.
lower than zero degrees, used when talking about temperature.
Last night the temperature in Hokkaido dropped to ten below zero.
number + below zero for sub-zero temperature
Lake Suwa freezes solid whenever the air stays below zero for a week.
stay + below zero
Esme forgot her gloves on a morning that felt like five below.
informal: 'five below' (zero understood)
Diesel trucks in Alaska struggle to start when overnight temperatures fall well below zero.
fall + well below zero
- drop below zero
- ten below zero
- stay below zero
- sub-zero
single adjective meaning 'below zero', often before a noun like 'temperatures'
- above zero
for temperatures higher than freezing point
Grammar Patterns
temperature + below zero
drop to below zero
Usage Note
In American speech, 'below' is sometimes used alone after a number (e.g., 'ten below') to mean 'below zero'.
Common Mistakes
below — preposition
1. in a position that is lower than something, either directly under it or somewher
in a position that is lower than something, either directly under it or somewhere further down.
A small bird had built its nest below the kitchen window.
below + physical reference point
Sara hid the spare key below a flat stone near the gate.
The submarine sailed slowly below the surface of the sea.
collocation: below the surface
Workers found Roman coins buried below the floor of the old farmhouse.
Mia hung a small painting of her dog just below the bedroom mirror.
below + a specific reference object
- below the surface
- below the line
- below sea level
- above
the direct spatial opposite
Grammar Patterns
below + noun
Usage Note
Often interchangeable with 'under', but 'below' suggests a vertical relationship without necessarily being directly underneath. Use 'under' when one thing covers or touches another (under the blanket).
Common Mistakes
2. at a point along a river that is closer to the sea than a place mentioned, in th
at a point along a river that is closer to the sea than a place mentioned, in the direction the river flows.
The fishermen anchored their boats just below the old stone bridge.
below + landmark on a river
Wild salmon are usually caught below the waterfall in late autumn.
Several small farms lie below the dam along the Mekong.
The water grows muddy below the factory and stays brown for miles.
- below the bridge
- below the dam
- below the falls
- downstream from
more explicit and common in everyday speech
- downriver from
near-equivalent; emphasises the river itself
- above
for upstream points along a river
- upstream from
everyday counterpart
Grammar Patterns
below + river / point on river
Usage Note
Used mainly in writing about geography, fishing, or boating. The reference noun is always something on a river (a town, a bridge, a dam). Distinguish from sense 1: 'lower' here means 'further along the flow', not vertically beneath.
3. in or to an area that is south of a stated place, when looking at a normal map.
in or to an area that is south of a stated place, when looking at a normal map.
The town of Tucson sits just below Phoenix on the highway map.
below + place name meaning 'south of'
Most of the rainforest lies below the equator in this region.
below + the equator
Many bird species fly to warmer islands below Florida every winter.
On the world map, Argentina sits just below Bolivia and stretches down to Patagonia.
below + country name on a map
- below the equator
- below the border
- south of
more precise; preferred in formal geography
Grammar Patterns
below + place / latitude
Usage Note
Relies on the map convention that south is at the bottom. Often used loosely in everyday speech; for precision, prefer 'south of'.
Common Mistakes
4. used with a following person, role, or rank to mean 'at a junior level to that p
used with a following person, role, or rank to mean 'at a junior level to that person or role' in a hierarchy.
A sergeant is one rank below a lieutenant in the army.
rank + below + senior role
Everyone below the head chef in the kitchen takes orders from her.
below + person for hierarchy
At the Tokyo office, anyone below the level of director must email Reiko before booking flights.
below the level of + role
Players ranked below the top fifty rarely win a major title.
- below the manager
- below the director
- ranks below
Grammar Patterns
below + person / role / rank
Usage Note
Object is typically a role (manager, captain, director) or a numbered ranking. Frequently appears in workplace, military, and sports contexts.
5. considered to be of too low a status, quality, or moral standard for a particula
considered to be of too low a status, quality, or moral standard for a particular person to do or accept.
The proud old judge felt that gossip was below him.
below + person meaning 'unworthy of'
Helping with the dishes was never below her grandfather, even as a guest.
Cheating in a friendly match should be below any serious athlete.
Senator Hayes acted as though answering reporters was below him.
- below his dignity
- below contempt
- beneath
much more common in this 'unworthy of' sense
- unworthy of
explicit and natural in modern English
- worthy of
expresses the positive idea directly
Grammar Patterns
below + person / one's dignity
Usage Note
Usually in negative or critical contexts about a person's pride or moral choice. The synonym 'beneath' is far more common in this meaning today.
Common Mistakes
below — noun
1. the material that appears later on the same page, used as a noun phrase with 'th
the material that appears later on the same page, used as a noun phrase with 'the'.
The lawyer asked Mr. Chen to sign and date the below at the bottom of page three.
legal register: 'sign the below'
In the biology textbook diagram, the above shows the leaves and the below shows the roots.
the below paired with the above
Hi Ines, please review the below and let me know your thoughts before Friday's meeting.
the below in business email register
The geology textbook summarises the above and the below in a single cross-section drawing.
the below contrasted with the above
- the below
- review the below
- sign the below
- the following
the natural everyday alternative
- the above
matching noun for material higher on the page
Grammar Patterns
the below
Usage Note
Mostly limited to legal writing, formal email, and academic captions. In normal English, prefer phrases like 'the items below' or 'the section below'.
Common Mistakes
below — adjective
1. appearing further down a page, or talked about later within the same document.
appearing further down a page, or talked about later within the same document.
Please complete the form below in clear black ink.
the [noun] below — postpositive adjective use
The map below shows every emergency exit on the floor.
Tick the box below if you agree to the terms of service.
Use the recipe below to bake a simple chocolate cake at home.
- the table below
- the chart below
- the form below
- the diagram below
- following
common attributive option: 'the following table'
- above
postpositive opposite: 'the chart above'
Grammar Patterns
noun + below
Usage Note
Always placed AFTER the noun it describes, never before (you cannot say 'the below table'). Distinguish from the noun sense: here 'below' modifies a named item ('the chart below'), whereas the noun stands alone ('the below').
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: preposition/1
All four words point to a lower position, but each carries a slightly different feel. 'Below' suggests a vertical relationship without saying that one thing covers or touches another, so it works well at distance: 'the village below the mountain'. 'Under' is the everyday word for being directly underneath or covered: 'the cat under the blanket', 'sign under your name'. 'Underneath' is close to 'under' but stresses being hidden or tucked away: 'the keys are underneath the seat'. 'Beneath' shares the meaning of 'below' but sounds more formal or literary, and is preferred for figurative ideas of status: 'such gossip is beneath her'. In short, choose 'below' for a clear vertical comparison, 'under' for direct cover, 'underneath' for something hidden, and 'beneath' for formal or moral contexts.
Common collocations
Nouns
- below average
- below sea level
- below zero
- below the surface
- below the line
Adverbs
- far below
- directly below
- well below
- just below
Phrases
- see below
- as shown below
- the chart below
- the form below
Prepositions
- from below
Etymology
'Below' began life in Middle English as a two-part phrase combining 'be-' (an old prefix meaning 'by' or 'around') with 'low' (low or downward). Writers used it from around the 14th century to mean 'in a low place', and over time the two parts fused into the single word we have today. Its older cousin 'beneath' uses the same 'be-' prefix attached to 'neath' (a form of 'nether', meaning 'down'), which is why the two words still feel like close relatives.