Etimology
From Middle English under, from Old English under, from Proto-Germanic *under (whence also German unter, Dutch onder, Danish and Norwegian under), from a merger of Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥dʰér (“under”) and *h₁entér (“inside”). Akin to Old High German untar (“under”), Sanskrit अन्तर् (antar, “within”), Latin infrā (“below, beneath”) and inter (“between, among”).
preposition
under
At the bottom of or in the area covered or surmounted by.
From one side of to the other, passing beneath.
Less than.
Subordinate to; subject to the control of; in accordance with; in compliance with.
Within the category, classification or heading of.
(figuratively) In the face of; in response to (some attacking force).
Using or adopting (a name, identity, etc.).
Examples
We found some shade under a tree.
About £10,000 was stuffed under the mattress.
There is nothing new under the sun.
There is an oil leak under the car.
The little boys in the front bedroom had thrown off their blankets and lay under the sheets.
Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime.
Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. […] Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.
The crocodile lurked just under the water.
I crawled under the fence.
There is a tunnel under the English Channel.
Interest rates are now under 1%.
We can get there in under an hour.
He served in World War II under General Omar Bradley.
During the pandemic, we had to live under severe restrictions.
Under the law and concession agreement with other parties, the private company must pay taxes in time and on a right amount.
There is general agreement that his military forces were organized into six divisions. They were stationed at the following places: at Ti-hua under the command of Liu Hsi-tsen, at T'a-ch'eng under Chiang Sung-lin, at Ili under Niu Shih, at A-shan under Wei Chen-kuo, at A-k'o-su under Chang Tzu-t'ing, and at Ko-shih-ko-erh nominally under Tsou-ying, but in reality under Chin's brother, Chin Shu-chih.
He was then denied by a magnificent tackle from captain Terry as Liverpool continued to press - but Chelsea survived as the memories of the nightmare under Villas-Boas faded even further into the background.
Dati launched a blistering attack on the prime minister, François Fillon, under whom she served as justice minister, accusing him of sexism, elitism, arrogance and hindering the political advancement of ethnic minorities.
File this under "i" for "ignore".
England's World Cup dreams fell apart under a French onslaught on a night when their shortcomings were brutally exposed at the quarter-final stage.
to collapse under stress; to give in under interrogation
J.K. Rowling has written a crime novel called 'The Cuckoo's Calling' under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
He writes books under the name John Smith.
She now lives under a new identity.
Related words
synonyms
below
beneath
underneath
antonyms
above
over
adverb
under (not comparable)
In or to a lower or subordinate position, or a position beneath or below something, physically or figuratively.
So as to pass beneath something.
(usually in compounds) Insufficiently.
(informal) In or into an unconscious state.
Examples
pulled under by the currents
weighed under by worry
The minstrel fell, but the foeman's chain / Could not bring his proud soul under.
There's quite a gap, so you may be able to sneak under.
The plants were underwatered.
Women are under-represented.
It took the hypnotist several minutes to make his subject go under.
Related words
synonyms
below
beneath
antonyms
above
over
adjective
under (comparative more under, superlative most under)
Lower; beneath something.
In a state of subordination, submission or defeat.
(medicine, colloquial) Under anesthesia, especially general anesthesia; sedated.
(informal) Insufficient or lacking in a particular respect.
Down to defeat, ruin, or death.
Examples
This treatment protects the under portion of the car from rust.
underbelly, underside, undershirt, undersecretary
The advantages he gains are of double security to him ; first, by the support of his haunches, being at all times more under than before, he learns to be more active with his hind-quarters
If you allow the right hand to turn under more than the left, a pull will result, and if the left is more under than the right, a sliced ball will surely follow.
The waves are so steep, they crash so fast and furious I'm more under than up.
The army could not keep the people under.
I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection.
When ready for sea we went up to Greenhithe, that their lordships might inspect us, and then to Portsmouth, to take troops to Cork, a pleasant trip; but the troops left us a legacy of "mahogany flats," with which their beds were so swarming that we never got them under.
Ensure the patient is sufficiently under.
This chicken is a bit under.
This bag of apples feels under.
My pay packet last week was £10 under.
The COVID=19 epidemic and shutdown took some businesses under.
Big-box store and online retailing have driven many specialty and local retail stores under.
noun
under (plural unders)
The amount by which an actual total is less than the expected or required amount.
Examples
[…] standard cash count forms used to record the count and any overs or unders.