below: Meaning and Definition of

be•low

Pronunciation: (bi-lō'), [key]
— adv.
  1. in or toward a lower place: Look out below!
  2. on, in, or toward a lower level, as a lower deck of a ship: The captain of the ship went below.
  3. beneath the surface of the water: Divers were sent below to view the wreck.
  4. on earth: the fate of creatures here below.
  5. in hell or the infernal regions.
  6. at a later point on a page or in a text:Cf. above (def. 5). See the illustration below.
  7. in a lower rank or grade: He was demoted to the class below.
  8. under zero on the temperature scale: The temperature in Buffalo was ten below this morning.
  9. downstage. Cf. above (def. 8).
  10. on the lower or ventral side.
—prep.
  1. lower down than: below the knee.
  2. lower in rank, degree, amount, rate, etc., than: below cost; below freezing.
  3. too low or undignified to be worthy of; beneath: He considered such an action below his notice.
  4. downstage of: There are two chairs below the table.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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