be ‧ neath W2 /bɪˈniːθ/ BrE AmE adverb , preposition formal
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: beneothan , from neothan 'below' ]
1 . in or to a lower position than something, or directly under something SYN underneath :
The dolphins disappeared beneath the waves.
Jo enjoyed feeling the warm sand beneath her feet.
He was standing on the bridge looking at the river beneath.
Some roofs collapsed beneath the weight of (=unable to support the weight of) so much snow.
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In everyday English, people usually use underneath (as an adverb or preposition) or under (as a preposition) when talking about position:
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They hid under the table.
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a picture with a caption underneath
2 . covered by something:
Shiona shivered beneath the bedclothes.
3 . used to say that someone’s real character or feelings are not shown because their appearance or behaviour is different SYN underneath :
Dave sensed that something more sinister lay beneath the woman’s cheerful exterior.
Beneath the surface she was angry.
4 . not good enough or suitable for someone:
She acts as if even speaking to us is beneath her.
He felt it would be beneath his dignity to comment.
His mother felt he was marrying beneath him (=marrying someone who was not good enough) .
I consider such behaviour to be beneath contempt (=so bad that you have no respect for the person involved) .
5 . in a lower, less important rank or job than someone else SYN below
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THESAURUS
▪ under something that is under something else has that thing directly above it or covering it:
The pen was under the desk.
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She had a T-shirt on under her sweater.
▪ below in a lower position than something else, though not always directly under it:
From the cliffs we could barely see the people on the beach below us.
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His apartment is below ours on the left.
▪ underneath under – used especially to emphasize that something covers, touches, or hides something:
The girls wear shorts underneath their cheerleading skirts.
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I found the book underneath the sofa.
▪ beneath formal under or at a lower level:
They strolled hand in hand beneath the summer moon.
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The water lies just beneath the surface of the earth.