(~s, surfacing, ~d)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
The ~ of something is the flat top part of it or the outside of it.
Ozone forms a protective layer between 12 and 30 miles above the Earth’s ~.
...tiny little waves on the ~ of the water...
Its total ~ area was seven thousand square feet.
N-COUNT: usu with supp
2.
A work ~ is a flat area, for example the top of a table, desk, or kitchen cupboard, on which you can work.
It can simply be left on the work ~...
N-COUNT: usu with supp
3.
When you refer to the ~ of a situation, you are talking about what can be seen easily rather than what is hidden or not immediately obvious.
Back in Britain, things appear, on the ~, simpler...
Social unrest, never far below the ~ in Brazil, has erupted over the last few days...
N-SING: usu the N
4.
Surface is used to describe the parts of the armed forces which travel by ship or by land rather than underwater or in the air.
In contrast with its ~ fleet, Britain’s submarine force was relatively small.
ADJ: ADJ n
5.
If someone or something under water ~s, they come up to the ~ of the water.
He ~d, gasping for air.
VERB: V
6.
When something such as a piece of news, a feeling, or a problem ~s, it becomes known or becomes obvious.
The paper says the evidence, when it ~s, is certain to cause uproar...
= emerge
VERB: V
7.
When someone ~s, they appear after not being seen for some time, for example because they have been asleep. (INFORMAL)
What time do you ~?
VERB: V