surface1 nounsurface2 verbsurface3 adjective
surfacesur‧face1 /ˈsɜːfɪs $ ˈsɜːr-/ ●●● S3 W1 noun [countable] 
WORD ORIGINsurface1
Origin:
1600-1700 French sur- ( ➔ SURCHARGE) + face ‘face’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A cube has six surfaces.
- Exfoliators remove dead cells from the surface of your skin.
- Half-empty glasses covered every flat surface in the room.
- In a kitchen all work surfaces should be kept spotlessly clean.
- Leaves floated on the surface of the pool.
- Pour out the flour on a clean work surface.
- She watched as the bubbles rose to the surface and popped.
- The clay is about a metre below the surface of the soil.
- The moon's surface is covered with rocks and dust.
- the moon's surface
- The plant has light green leaves with silver marks on their upper surfaces.
- When using glue, make sure both surfaces are completely clean.
- Benches with reversible tops give the option of either a smooth surface or recessed gravel trays for summer and are particularly useful.
- But afraid of the stinging jellyfish that shimmered, ghostlike, underneath the surface, I never even tried.
- Fitted carefully, they make a very nice and durable surface.
- Microwaves create very short, high energy radio-waves which agitate and heat water molecules on or near the surface of foods.
- Since different molecules absorb different colours, this microscope can be used to make a microscopic chemical analysis of the surface.
- The first astronomer to study the surface of Mars was Galileo Galilei, who noted the phases of the planet in 1610.
- The look can be quaint or dated, but most people who buy an old house long to update the surfaces.
Longman Language Activatorthe outside part of an object
· The plant has light green leaves with silver marks on their upper surfaces.· When using glue, make sure both surfaces are completely clean.· Half-empty glasses covered every flat surface in the room.surface of · Exfoliators remove dead cells from the surface of your skin.work surface (=a surface for preparing food etc) · In a kitchen all work surfaces should be kept spotlessly clean.
one of the flat or upright surfaces of something such as a box, a piece of paper, or a shape with straight edges: · A cube has six sides.side of: · Please use both sides of the paper to write your answers.· The word FRAGILE was written on every side of the box in big, red letters.· I'll paint the other side of the fence after lunch.
one of the large steep sides of something such as a mountain, or one of the outside surfaces of a cube, a diamond etc: face of: · There were many unsuccessful attempts to climb the North Face of Mount Everest.· One of the faces of the cube has a line across it.cliff/rock face: · The cliff face was starting to crumble into the sea.
the flat upper surface of an object: · This jewellery box would be worth a lot of money if the top wasn't chipped.· a dressing-table with a glass toptop of: · The top of the piano was covered with a lace cloth.
the top part of an area of water or land · The moon's surface is covered with rocks and dust.· She watched as the bubbles rose to the surface and popped.surface of · Leaves floated on the surface of the pool.· The clay is about a metre below the surface of the soil.
ways of saying what seems to be happening, if a person, place, or situation is pleasant, normal, calm etc on the surface , they seem that way until you know them better: · On the surface, life seemed normal in Beirut at that time.· Mike was very pleasant on the surface, but he had a nasty temper.
if someone is outwardly calm, happy etc, that is how they seem to be, but in fact they are probably nervous, unhappy etc: · Outwardly she seemed contented and happy with life.outwardly calm/unconcerned etc: · Henry remained calm and outwardly unaffected by the terrible events of the previous day.
use this when something seems to be true about someone or something especially when it is not true: · To all appearances, they were a happily married couple.
use this to say that something seems true, you mean that it seems true, but you are not at all certain that it actually is, because you do not know all the facts: · On the face of it, this seems like a perfectly good idea -- we must wait and see if it turns out well.· On the face of it, he appeared to be an ideal candidate for the position.
: seemingly impossible/endless/unimportant etc seeming to be impossible, endless, unimportant etc, especially when this is not actually true: · Running a mile in under 4 minutes was a seemingly impossible task.· I looked down at the seemingly endless expanse of green of the Serengeti Plain.· The music was strange, seemingly without a melody.
apparent abilities, feelings, or attitudes seem to be real, but you cannot be sure if they are: · She was upset by her father-in-law's apparent dislike of her.· What shocked me was the parents' apparent lack of interest in their child.
formal seeming to be true about someone's feelings, attitudes, or abilities: · I wondered about Richard's seeming reluctance to talk about his family.· The professor became frustrated by his students' seeming inability to understand simple questions.
feelings, attitudes, or qualities that are superficial are not real or true, even though someone or something seems to have them: · The people are friendly, but only in a superficial way.· The landscape bore a superficial resemblance to England's green and pleasant land, and each house had a small suburban garden.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meaning 2adjectives
Beneath the surface she was angry. You need a flat, even surface to work on.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· The upper surface of the leaf is dull green.
· The outer surface of the shell is ridged.
· Marble provides a cool smooth surface.
· I reached out and touched the rough surface of the stone wall.
(=not smooth, because of its design)· Many floor tiles have textured surfaces to make them less slippery underfoot.
· The path has a hard surface suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
· This type of cloth has a shiny surface on one side.
· I didn't want to spill anything on the polished surface of the table.
· The sign read: ‘Beware: slippery surface.’
· Put the compass on a flat surface.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Beneath the surface she was angry.· Over seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by ocean.
You need a flat, even surface to work on.· The battens should be screwed loosely into position and then checked to see if they present a flat vertical surface.· All that sadness under the flat gray surface of his eyes.· But then she realized that laid out before her was a flat surface.· When a circularly polarized signal is reflected from a flat surface, the direction of polarization is reversed.· If the strip becomes curled when you cut it, put it on a hard flat surface and hammer it flat.· Soften the lemon by rolling it back and forth along a flat surface.· Place the sensor on a flat surface and rotate it slowly through 360°.· Gently press down to form an even, flat surface.
· But horses have yet to evolve a hoof suitable for constant wear on hard surfaces or rough stony tracks.· The confined space and the many hard, reflective surfaces make a car interior perhaps the ultimate challenge for audio designers.· A selection of hard surfaces should be provided in the form of flat rocks or slate.· As nothing happened, he put out his hand, and felt a cold, hard surface.· If the strip becomes curled when you cut it, put it on a hard flat surface and hammer it flat.· However, if a hard smooth surface is required royal icing is very effective.· A colour will seem brighter on a smooth, hard surface and more muted and darker on a rough, softer surface.· The hard, smooth surface pressed to his face was covered in water.
· Astronauts discovered that finding their way about on the lunar surface was often harder then they expected.· The glass in the regolith owes its origin to impacts of cometary and asteroidal material with the lunar surface.· Unmanned probes were being sent to study the lunar surface to prepare for Apollo to follow.· Such a transportation system will exert a constant demand for fuel both at the space station and on the lunar surface.· Such migration need not disturb the uniformity of the dust type across the lunar surface.· Sufficiently large impacts can hurl crater ejecta to any point on the lunar surface.· Despite being obviously different in weight they struck the lunar surface together.· What if you, too, dream of teeing off on the lunar surface?
· When polished smooth its flattened surfaces, whether flat or convex, offered ideal scope for the engraver.· The smooth surface makes it easier for agents to detect footprints in the road.· Benches with reversible tops give the option of either a smooth surface or recessed gravel trays for summer and are particularly useful.· She sighed and let her fingers move slowly down the dark, smooth surface of the glass.· A colour will seem brighter on a smooth, hard surface and more muted and darker on a rough, softer surface.· The hard, smooth surface pressed to his face was covered in water.· Heat rose from the depths, and every smooth cold surface was damp with condensation.· An old household broom is useful for this operation 4 For a really smooth surface, use a plastering float.
· The upper surface of the blades is brown-green or olive, sometimes with horizontal or vertical red-brown stripes.· When the sheet is examined in the electron microscope filaments are seen to be localized at the upper surface.· Each upper surface is further highlighted in a dusting of grimy soot.· The upper leaf surface is smooth and grass-green; the lower surface is lighter, a yellow-green, with distinct veins.· As the plate descends frictional heat is generated between its upper surface and the surrounding mantle.· Eventually the weight of the salt crystals peels them off the upper surface and they settle into the bottom of the liquid.
NOUN· The undulations in Rough or Not paper allow the dusty pastel more surface area to grip to.· The average body surface area is accepted as being I. 79 square meters.· The surface area of a plate is reduced at a subduction zone whereas it is increased along a spreading ridge.· Also a film presents less surface area to a chemical than does particulate matter.· The microporous structure offers a high surface area 50% of which is inside the media.· Simply by growing larger, creatures suffer a continual decrease in relative surface area.· A tree without leaves has a smaller surface area as compared with a tree with leaves which has a large surface area.
· The road surfaces tend to be worse in the towns than in the country.· Drivers are subject to their own balance, and scooters are sensitive to wind gusts and road surfaces.· Poor road surfaces and flickering street lights inhibited my early pace.· In addition, the rear suspension allows longitudinal rearward wheel travel in order to reduce tyre thump on poor road surfaces.· Likewise, teams of cleaners scrubbed the painted slogans off the memorials and road surface.· The driver will control his speed via an adjustable governor, up to a limit set by the local road surface.· You will have seen how that road surface can become soft and sticky in extreme heat.· Neat salt, put on at a light rate of spread is just enough to de-ice the road surface.
· This means that its surface temperatures must be literally scorching, frequently reaching 700°C.· Before very long on a planetary time scale the surface temperatures would reach Cytherean values.· Patterns of air pressure, surface winds and sea surface temperatures are all interlinked.· An initial surface temperature of 10° C has been assumed in all cases.· It's sending back measurements of global sea surface temperatures, with very high accuracy.· Mercurian surface temperatures have been determined from observations of thermal radiation from the planet's surface.· The Cytherean atmosphere is far more massive than that of the Earth, and the surface temperatures are considerably higher.· The temperature is about 700 K, about the same as the surface temperature everywhere on Venus.
· This reduces surface tension allowing a better oxygen mixture therefore making the fuel easier to burn.· The goal is to create a firm surface tension that allows the bread to rise without spreading out sideways.· As they form under the forces of surface tension, they drag the silk into little bundles within them.· The jersey, which was extra small, had shoulder straps that were hanging on by surface tension and willpower.· Similarly an insect walking on the surface of a pond would have gravity counteracted by the surface tension of the water.· The cup was so full, the coffee bulged with surface tension.· From watching raindrops, bubbles and insects walking on ponds it is obvious that water and other liquids have a surface tension.· Of course surface tension was an unknown phenomenon.
· It is important to leave a gap between the water surface and the drip tray to allow this.· Tanker trucks stood by the Charlestown Breachway Monday to siphon off the water surface any oil trapped by the booms.· It grew quickly, putting six fairly large eaves on the water surface - but the Kissers ignored them.· He sprinkled in lead shot until the neck of the carboy was floating level with the water surface in the pail.· Oxygen depletion causes fish to gulp strongly at the water surface.· It is the most robust variety, but readily grows above the water surface even in the aquarium.· Within a few hours I noticed a large number of fry appearing at the water surface.· They flower as a rule above the water surface and, unlike the preceding group, they develop more conspicuous flowers.
· He ate it standing up by the sink, and deliberately left the little pot on the marble work surface.· But her room offered neither work surface nor adequate light.· Place poussin halves on work surface, bone side down.· Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin.· Again, facilities for rapid cooking will probably be important, plus easy-to-clean floors, work surfaces and cupboards.· Noury lightly flours her work surface and rolling pin.· Fitted with a matching range of timber trimmed wall and base units with laminated work surfaces over.· Give the dough a quarter turn to keep it from sticking to the work surface.
VERB· Her head broke the surface and she gratefully gulped in air.· Her eyes are closed, her mouth is partly open, breaking the surface of a stormy face.· The unconscious, slogan-filled element inside language keeps breaking through its surface.· Many minerals show a characteristic color on freshly broken surfaces; others show characteristic colors on weathered or altered surfaces.· Rolling on to his back, he lay still as a corpse with only his face breaking the surface.· Snaking ominously up from its subterranean silo, the 330, 000-pound missile nearly breaks the surface.· It never broke out above the surface: he feared heresy and blasphemy too much.· Something was breaking the surface, something long though not as long as the Teeth.
· Polishing with a soft cloth will bring the surface back to life.· These three techniques have brought the surface of the earth into focus.· Three men, including one called Andrew Cunningham, were brought to the surface to erect the fence.· It is an essential element of the primal piety, the archaic spirituality, that pentecostal worship brings to the surface.· The letter had brought them to the surface, where they could hurt more.· Susan Griffin brings to the surface some deep connections.· There were ways of bringing memories to the surface and he must use them to protect himself.· Geevor, the third biggest mine, brings to the surface some 800 tonnes annually.
· Typical failures exhibit a thin layer of wood covering the glued surface.· Add potatoes and roll around to cover all surfaces with butter.· Strain into a bowl, cover the surface of the custard with damp greaseproof paper.· The lake will cover 1, 400 surface acres when full, roughly twice the size of San Pablo Reservoir near Orinda.· It is covered with a black surface to absorb the sunlight.· Layer with 4 halves of tortilla to cover most of the surface.· This is contained in the large warts that cover the upper surface of the toad's skin.· The solution is simple, according to Tufts' other newsletter, Catnip. Cover the surface with aluminum foil.
· He may not even drink water at night, for fear of swallowing insects possibly floating on the surface.· As the waves crashed round the hilltops the wizards' palaces broke free and floated on the surface of the waves.· The rock-walled chimney slid downward, she floated toward the surface with her head tilted back, impatient for the upper world.· He held on to the sides of the tub and let his legs float gently to the surface.· Both leaves and flowers float on the surface.· One floats at the water surface and is tied to a piece of cork.· The skin of clear lacquer floating at the surface was used for artwork and fine lacquerware.
· Weathering Bone lying out on the surface of the ground is subject to a number of processes.· There was a lot of blood lying on the surface of what might have been flesh to an untrained eye.· These can be just those pieces which they find lying around the surface or they can be ripped off the growing plants.· I sensed all this profoundly when I first began to think about what might lie beneath the surface of the oceans.· As we travel through life, we begin to realize that grief and deep disappointments lie beneath the surface of our lives.· They were always lying just below the surface of their life.· Any or all of these may lie submerged beneath a surface of silence.
· When the laser reaches the pale stone surface the light emitted is bounced back instead of absorbed and the process ceases.· The flowers or leaves do not always reach the surface and are not adapted to a life above water.· A man once fell off the dock, with only one hand reaching above the surface.· It always amazes me that animals reach the surface alive from great depths.· It has carried out a five-year study which it says shows no significant increase in radiation is reaching the earth's surface.· As the lava reached the surface, much of the water escaped as hot vapor clouds.· Central vent and fissure eruptions represent the two basic ways in which magma can reach the surface.· With a finger in the thimble, you push through space until you reach the surface of the computer-generated object.
· At about a kilometre's range the whales' blow looked like small globular puffs of steam rising off the sea surface.· Hot magma from the mantle would rise to the surface to fill in the crack.· The police kept up their enquiries and one or two likely candidates rose to the surface, but nothing was clearly actionable.· Simmer slowly for 30 minutes, skimming any fat that rises to surface.· Dense tufts of pea-green underwater foliage, rising to the surface during the summer and affording shelter for fish and their fry.· Now they were bloated bodies rising to the surface just in time to give the serial killer away.· BSigns of withdrawal have risen to the surface.· Meanwhile the nation's uneasy racial past continues to rise noisily to the surface.
· So far, research into psychoneuroimmunology has done no more than scratch the surface of this potentially important topic.· I would watch the broom scratch across the surface of the floors and on the stairs in front of the house.· But Mr Smith has merely scratched the surface of Labour's election promises.· The end of the upper branches scratched the surface like phonograph needles.· Mr Burrows added cultivator tines to scratch the surface and provide an adequate tilth for the rapeseed.· After purchasing a card from a vendor or through the mail, customers scratch off the surface to reveal their account number.· The above four cases only scratch the surface.· But after a summer in Trinidad, he realized he had only scratched the surface of the eclectic and complex belief system.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- So far, we have only scratched the surface of the information available on this topic.
- A lot of titles for this year you may think, but I've only scratched the surface.
- All too soon it was over and we left feeling we had just scratched the surface of this fascinating Republic.
- But after a summer in Trinidad, he realized he had only scratched the surface of the eclectic and complex belief system.
- But Mr Smith has merely scratched the surface of Labour's election promises.
- Mr Burrows added cultivator tines to scratch the surface and provide an adequate tilth for the rapeseed.
- So far, research into psychoneuroimmunology has done no more than scratch the surface of this potentially important topic.
- The above four cases only scratch the surface.
- The end of the upper branches scratched the surface like phonograph needles.
WORD FAMILYverbsurfaceresurfacenounsurfaceadjectivesurface
1water/land the top layer of an area of water or landsurface of Dead leaves floated on the surface of the water. Nearly 10% of the Earth’s surface is covered by ice. Gas bubbles in any liquid tend to rise to the surface.beneath/under/below the surface The tunnel was some 300 feet below the surface.2outside/top layer the outside or top layer of somethingsurface of the surface of the vase The road surfaces tend to be worse in the towns than in the country. a frying pan with a non-stick surfaceon something’s surface mold growing on the cheese’s surface3person/situation etc the surface the qualities, emotions etc of someone or something that are easy to notice, but which are not the only or not the real qualities, emotions etcon the surface On the surface, it seems a simple story. Half an hour later, Enid had calmed down, at least on the surface.beneath the surface I sensed a lot of tension and jealousy beneath the surface. Prejudice is never far beneath the surface (=often appears) in the region.rise/be brought/come to the surface Violence has risen to the surface in the inner city.4for working on a flat area on the top of a cupboard, table, desk etc, that you use for cooking or working onwork/kitchen surface Keep kitchen surfaces clean and tidy. Work on a clean, flat surface.5side of an object one of the sides of an object: How many surfaces does a cube have? → scratch the surface at scratch1(8)COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 2adjectivesthe upper/top surface· The upper surface of the leaf is dull green.the outer/inner surface· The outer surface of the shell is ridged.smooth· Marble provides a cool smooth surface.rough· I reached out and touched the rough surface of the stone wall.textured (=not smooth, because of its design)· Many floor tiles have textured surfaces to make them less slippery underfoot.hard· The path has a hard surface suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.shiny· This type of cloth has a shiny surface on one side.polished· I didn't want to spill anything on the polished surface of the table.slippery· The sign read: ‘Beware: slippery surface.’flat· Put the compass on a flat surface.surface1 nounsurface2 verbsurface3 adjective
surfacesurface2 verb VERB TABLE
surface
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | surface |
| he, she, it | surfaces | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | surfaced |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have surfaced |
| he, she, it | has surfaced | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had surfaced |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will surface |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have surfaced |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am surfacing |
| he, she, it | is surfacing | |
| you, we, they | are surfacing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was surfacing |
| you, we, they | were surfacing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been surfacing |
| he, she, it | has been surfacing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been surfacing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be surfacing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been surfacing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- "Have you seen Cathy?'' "No, she hasn't surfaced yet.''
- Rumors about the killings have begun to surface in the press.
- Suddenly one whale surfaced right beside our boat.
- But to its surprise, the task force surfaced growing complaints.
- He surfaced from his thoughts and turned back to the room.
- In fact many of them were pre-1917 private traders who surfaced again after 1921.
- More problems surfaced after the king fell ill.
- Now it was Alain's face that surfaced when she let down her guard.
- The other 30 pictures surfaced just last month.
- When Greene surfaced from the war in the mid-1940s the literary friendship resumed.
Longman Language Activatorthe outside part of an object
· The plant has light green leaves with silver marks on their upper surfaces.· When using glue, make sure both surfaces are completely clean.· Half-empty glasses covered every flat surface in the room.surface of · Exfoliators remove dead cells from the surface of your skin.work surface (=a surface for preparing food etc) · In a kitchen all work surfaces should be kept spotlessly clean.
one of the flat or upright surfaces of something such as a box, a piece of paper, or a shape with straight edges: · A cube has six sides.side of: · Please use both sides of the paper to write your answers.· The word FRAGILE was written on every side of the box in big, red letters.· I'll paint the other side of the fence after lunch.
one of the large steep sides of something such as a mountain, or one of the outside surfaces of a cube, a diamond etc: face of: · There were many unsuccessful attempts to climb the North Face of Mount Everest.· One of the faces of the cube has a line across it.cliff/rock face: · The cliff face was starting to crumble into the sea.
the flat upper surface of an object: · This jewellery box would be worth a lot of money if the top wasn't chipped.· a dressing-table with a glass toptop of: · The top of the piano was covered with a lace cloth.
the top part of an area of water or land · The moon's surface is covered with rocks and dust.· She watched as the bubbles rose to the surface and popped.surface of · Leaves floated on the surface of the pool.· The clay is about a metre below the surface of the soil.
to get out of bed to get out of bed, especially in the morning in order to get ready for the day: · What time do you need to get up tomorrow?· Why is it always me who gets up first?get up at 7.00 a.m./dawn etc: · Frank gets up at half past five every morning.get up early/late: · I think we should get up early and leave before breakfast.· She goes to bed late and gets up late.
· I couldn't face getting out of bed this morning.· Isn't it about time you got out of bed?
to be out of bed and doing things: · Is Harry up yet?· I was up at six this morning.· Jake had been up since dawn.be up early: · You're up early!
spoken informal to get up, especially late and after being in bed for a long time: · "Have you seen Cathy?" "No, she hasn't surfaced yet."
WORD SETSadobe, nounasphalt, nounbatten, nounbeam, nounblueprint, nounboard, nounboom, nounbreeze-block, nounbrick, nounbricklayer, nounbrickwork, nounbucket, nounbuilder, nounbuilding contractor, nounbuilding site, nounbulldoze, verbbulldozer, nounbuttress, nouncaisson, nouncantilever, nouncastellated, adjectivecavity wall, nouncement, nouncement, verbconcrete, adjectiveconcrete, nounconcrete, verbconduit, nounconstruct, verbcrane, nouncrosspiece, noundaub, noundigger, noundowel, noundrain, noundrainage, noundraughtsman, noundry-stone wall, noundry wall, nounduckboards, noundustsheet, nounembankment, nounerect, verberection, nounfence, verbfencing, nounfiberboard, nounfibreboard, nounfloor plan, nounfoundation, noungantry, noungatepost, noungirder, noungreenfield site, nounhalf-timbered, adjectivehard hat, nounhod, nounhousing association, nounhousing project, nounjackhammer, nounjib, nounjoist, nounkeystone, nounlath, nounleading, nounmansard, nounmortar, nounpanelling, nounpanel pin, nounpave, verbpavement, nounpebbledash, nounpier, nounpile driver, nounplank, nounplanking, nounplaster, nounplaster, verbplasterboard, nounplasterer, nounplate glass, nounpoint, verbPortakabin, nounprime, verbprimer, nounproperty developer, nounputty, nounquantity surveyor, nounrebuild, verbreconstruct, verbreconstruction, nounrefurbish, verbreinforced concrete, nounrendering, nounrenovate, verbrevetment, nounroof, nounroof, verbroofing, nounrooftop, nounrubble, nounsand, verbsandstone, nounsaw, verbscaffold, nounscaffolding, nounshovel, nounsite, nounskip, nounslab, nounslate, nounspan, verbstarter home, nounsteam shovel, nounstilt, nounstucco, nounsurface, verbsuspension bridge, nounthatch, nounthatched, adjectivetile, nountile, verbtiling, nountimber, nountopcoat, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Rumors about the killings have begun to surface in the press.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Beneath the surface she was angry. You need a flat, even surface to work on.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
Rumors about the killings have begun to surface in the press. Beneath the surface she was angry.· Over seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by ocean.
You need a flat, even surface to work on.· The fuss died down, but has now surfaced again.· Two weeks ago, Nixon once again surfaced in the news.· In fact many of them were pre-1917 private traders who surfaced again after 1921.· All stand eagerly ready for the chase as soon as the whales surface again.· When he was angry then the Yorkshire surfaced again in his voice, the grate of the harsh streets of Leeds.· They wove across the metallic dunes, submerging themselves like roots, surfacing again, twitching, throbbing sluggishly.· After the 1987 general election victory complaints of high-handedness surfaced again.
· These events first surfaced in 1992.
NOUN· His problems re-surfaced at Oviedo when coach Raddy Antic dropped him last weekend for being out of condition.· More problems surfaced after the king fell ill.· If they had not had medical knowledge, their mental problems would have surfaced in some other form.· Well, anyone can see the imminent problem that surfaces immediately.· What opportunities and problems are being surfaced regarding this subject?· The problem surfaced as annual property tax bills began appearing in mailboxes this week.
VERB· Very quickly, complaints about the president and his staff began surfacing on Capitol Hill.· However, other arguments began to surface.· Fresh evidence of the decline of certain wildlife populations began to surface in the late 50s.· Mihiel was under way, radical differences within the group began to surface.· At that point media reports began to surface that the decision had been made.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- So far, we have only scratched the surface of the information available on this topic.
- A lot of titles for this year you may think, but I've only scratched the surface.
- All too soon it was over and we left feeling we had just scratched the surface of this fascinating Republic.
- But after a summer in Trinidad, he realized he had only scratched the surface of the eclectic and complex belief system.
- But Mr Smith has merely scratched the surface of Labour's election promises.
- Mr Burrows added cultivator tines to scratch the surface and provide an adequate tilth for the rapeseed.
- So far, research into psychoneuroimmunology has done no more than scratch the surface of this potentially important topic.
- The above four cases only scratch the surface.
- The end of the upper branches scratched the surface like phonograph needles.
WORD FAMILYverbsurfaceresurfacenounsurfaceadjectivesurface
1[intransitive] if information, feelings, or problems surface, they become known about or easy to noticesurface in Rumors about the killings have begun to surface in the press. the jealousy that had surfaced in her2[intransitive] if someone or something surfaces, they suddenly appear somewhere, especially after being gone or hidden for a long time SYN pop up: Last year Toole surfaced again in Cuba.3[intransitive] to rise to the surface of water: divers surfacing near the boat4[intransitive] British English informal to get out of bed, especially late: Joe never surfaces before midday on Sunday.5[transitive] to put a surface on a roadsurface1 nounsurface2 verbsurface3 adjective
surfacesurface3 adjective [only before noun] EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a surface resemblance
- Beneath the surface calm, she felt insecure like everyone else.
- the U.S. Navy Reserve Surface Fleet
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY the Navy’s surface forcesCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Beneath the surface she was angry. You need a flat, even surface to work on.
the Navy’s surface forces Beneath the surface she was angry.· Over seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by ocean.
You need a flat, even surface to work on.PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- So far, we have only scratched the surface of the information available on this topic.
- A lot of titles for this year you may think, but I've only scratched the surface.
- All too soon it was over and we left feeling we had just scratched the surface of this fascinating Republic.
- But after a summer in Trinidad, he realized he had only scratched the surface of the eclectic and complex belief system.
- But Mr Smith has merely scratched the surface of Labour's election promises.
- Mr Burrows added cultivator tines to scratch the surface and provide an adequate tilth for the rapeseed.
- So far, research into psychoneuroimmunology has done no more than scratch the surface of this potentially important topic.
- The above four cases only scratch the surface.
- The end of the upper branches scratched the surface like phonograph needles.
WORD FAMILYverbsurfaceresurfacenounsurfaceadjectivesurface
1relating to the part of the army, navy etc that travels by land or on the sea, rather than by air or under the sea: the Navy’s surface forces2appearing to be true or real, but not representing what someone really feels or what something is really like SYN superficial: Beneath the surface calm, she felt very insecure.