In addition to the uses shown below, under is also used in phrasal verbs such as 'go under' and 'knuckle under'.
1. preposition
If a person or thing is under something, they are at a lower level than that thing, and may be covered or hidden by it.
They found a labyrinth of tunnels under the ground.
...swimming in the pool or lying under an umbrella.
Under a wide shelf that holds coffee jars stands a pile of magazines.
She buried her head under the covers, pretending to be asleep.
A path runs under the trees.
Synonyms: below, beneath, underneath, on the bottom of More Synonyms of under
2. preposition
In a place such as a sea, river, or swimming pool, if someone or something is under the water, they are fully in the water and covered by it.
They said he'd been held under the water and drowned.
Goldfish were swimming lazily in a group just under the surface.
Under is also an adverb.
When the water was up to his neck, a hand came from behind and pushed his head under.
3. preposition
If you go under something, you move from one side to the other of something that is at a higher level than you.
He went under a brick arch.
A river boat passed under the bridge.
4. preposition
Something that is under a layer of something, especially clothing, is covered by that layer.
I was wearing two sweaters under the green army jacket.
He had no shirt on under his thin jumper.
It was hard to see the colours under the layer of dust.
5. preposition
You can use under before a noun to indicate that a person or thing is being affected by something or is going through a particular process.
...fishermen whose livelihoods are under threat.
I'm rarely under pressure and my co-workers are always nice to me.
Firefighters said they had the blaze under control.
The cause of the crash was under investigation.
He was rushed to court yesterday under armed guard.
6. preposition
If something happens under particular circumstances or conditions, it happens when those circumstances or conditionsexist.
His best friend was killed by police under extremely questionable circumstances.
Under normal conditions, only about 20 to 40 per cent of vitamin E is absorbed.
Most doctors and nurses live under stressful conditions.
7. preposition
If something happens under a law, agreement, or system, it happens because that law, agreement, or system says that it should happen.
Under law, your employer has the right to hire a temporary worker to replace you.
We believe an offence was committed under E.U. regulations.
Under the Constitution, you cannot be tried twice for the same crime.
8. preposition
If something happens under a particular person or government, it happens when that person or government is inpower.
There would be no new taxes under his leadership.
...the realities of life under a brutal dictatorship.
He attempted to unite the country under his rule.
9. preposition
If you study or work under a particular person, that person teaches you or tells you what to do.
Kiefer was just one of the artists who had studied under Beuys in the early Sixties.
General Lewis Hyde had served under General 'Billy' Mitchell.
I am the new manager and you will be working under me.
Synonyms: subordinate to, subject to, reporting to, directed by More Synonyms of under
10. preposition
If you do something under a particular name, you use that name instead of your real name.
Were any of your books published under the name Amanda Fairchild?
The patient was registered under a false name.
11. preposition
You use under to say which section of a list, book, or system something is in.
This study is described under 'General Diseases of the Eye'.
...a parental rights order under section 4 of the Family Law Reform Act.
'Where would it be?'—'Filed under C, second drawer down.'
Synonyms: included in, belonging to, subsumed under, comprised in More Synonyms of under
12. preposition
If something or someone is under a particular age or amount, they are less than that age or amount.
...jobs for those under 65.
Nearly half of mothers with children under five have a job.
Expenditure this year should be just under 15 billion pounds.
Synonyms: less than, below, not as much as More Synonyms of under
Under is also an adverb.
...free childminding service for 5's and under.
13. under canvas
14. under wraps
More Synonyms of under
English Easy Learning GrammarPrepositionsA preposition is one of a small but very common group of words that relate differentitems to each other. Most English prepositions have a number of meanings ... Read more
under-
(ʌndəʳ-)
1. prefix
Under- is used to form words that express the idea that there is not enough of something. For example if people are underfed, they are not getting enough food.
Make sure that you are not underinsured.
Victorian cut glass is perhaps the most underpriced area of the antique glass market.
2. prefix
Under- is added to the beginning of nouns that refer to a job or rank in order to form nouns that refer to a less important job or rank.
...the new undersecretary of education.
...clients who wouldn't deal with an undermanager.
under in British English
(ˈʌndə)
preposition
1.
directly below; on, to, or beneath the underside or base of
under one's feet
2.
less than
under forty years
3.
lower in rank than
under a corporal
4.
subject to the supervision, jurisdiction, control, or influence of
5.
subject to (conditions); in (certain circumstances)
6.
within a classification of
a book under theology
7.
known by
under an assumed name
8.
planted with
a field under corn
9.
powered by
under sail
10. astrology
during the period that the sun is in (a sign of the zodiac)
born under Aries
adverb
11.
below; to a position underneath something
Word origin
Old English; related to Old Saxon, Gothic undar, Old High German untar, Old Norse undir, Latin infra
under- in British English
prefix
1.
below or beneath
underarm
underground
2.
of lesser importance or lower rank
undersecretary
3.
to a lesser degree than is proper; insufficient or insufficiently
undercharge
underemployed
4.
indicating secrecy or deception
underhand
under in American English
(ˈʌndər)
preposition
1.
in, at, or to a position down from; lower than; below
shoes under the bed, under a blazing sun
2.
beneath the surface of
under water
3.
below and to the other side of
we drove under a bridge
4.
covered, surmounted, enveloped, or concealed by
to wear a vest under a coat
5.
a.
lower in authority, position, power, etc. than
b.
lower in value, amount, etc. than; less than
c.
lower than the required or standard degree of
under the age specified for the job
6.
in a position or condition regarded as lower than or inferior to, or implying subordination to
; specif.,
a.
subject to the control, limitations, government, direction, instruction, or influence of
under orders from the President, under oath, born under Aries
b.
burdened, oppressed, or distressed by
under a strain
c.
subjected to; undergoing
under an anesthetic, under repair
7.
with the character, pretext, disguise, or cover of
under an alias
8.
in or included in (the designated category, division, class, etc.)
spiders are classified under arachnids
9.
during the rule of
literature flourished under Elizabeth I
10.
being the subject of
the question under discussion
11.
having regard for; because of
under the circumstances
12.
authorized or attested by
under her signature
13.
planted with; sown with
an acre under corn
adverb
14.
in or to a position below something; beneath
15.
beneath the surface, as of water
16.
in or to a condition that is subordinate
17.
so as to be covered or concealed
18.
less in amount, value, etc.; not so much
costing two dollars or under
adjective
19.
lower in position, authority, rank, amount, degree, etc.
Word origin
ME < OE, akin to Ger unter < IE *ṇdhos, *ṇdheri, under > L infra, below
under- in American English
(ˈʌndər)
1.
in, on, to, or from a lower place or side; beneath or below
undertow
2.
in an inferior or subordinate position or rank
underling
3.
too little, not enough, below normal or standard
underdeveloped
The following list includes some common compounds formed with under- that can be understood if “too little” or “insufficiently” is added to the meaningof the base word:
ˌunderˈactive
ˌunderˈbake
ˈunderˌcolored
ˈunderconˈsumption
ˌunderˈcook
underdose
ˌunderˈeduˌcated
ˌunderˈemphaˌsize
ˌunderˈexerˌcise
ˌunderˈmanned
ˌunderˈorganˌized
ˌunderˈpopuˌlated
ˌunderˈpowered
ˈunderˌpraise
ˈunderˌprice
ˌunderˈripe
ˌunderˈspend
ˌundersubˈscribe
ˌundersupˈply
ˌundertrained
Word origin
ME < OE: see under
Examples of 'under' in a sentence
under
Work is under way to base a team permanently in the city.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Will he keep their secret under wraps?
The Sun (2016)
The players are getting better and better under pressure.
The Sun (2017)
But under the surface of the city streets lies a sadder story.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
High lining takes a glitter liner and lines under the natural arch of the brow.
The Sun (2016)
A lot of men would have gone under.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Efforts are under way to find an alternative country or a safe enough place in Iraq for the interviews to take place.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The guarantor also comes under close scrutiny.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The trio escaped from the army training village under cover of darkness.
The Sun (2011)
There was such pain under the surface.
Richard Bath Notorious: The Maddest and Baddest Sportsmen on the Planet (2006)
Unless another rich benefactor was found the club would go under.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
This rather romantic background was kept virtually under wraps in my childhood.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
You stay calm under pressure and find winning answers.
The Sun (2011)
The facilities will reopen next week after months of disruption while the work was under way.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
One in five of those companies do indeed go under or require financial reconstruction.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
We conceded some sloppy tries and find ourselves under pressure.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The rifts would still be under the surface.
The Sun (2013)
They had chances, which they are going to have when you are under pressure.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
He is under pressure for Nigeria to make an impact.
The Sun (2013)
Work was under way to add floors to the two-storey building when it came down.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
I am pleased we have a young squad and we coped under some pressure.
The Sun (2015)
Outside is the yard where I watched slugs arching their backs under their punishment of salt.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
They're all under 35 and come from six different countries.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He has also come under fire from the Catholic Church.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
His audiences were composed principally of laborers and their families, many of whom barely under-
Adair, Tom (Intro) THREE KINDS OF KISSING - SCOTTISH SHORT STORIES
Juan Jose Morales thought it was not worth the effort to try to under-
Adair, Tom (Intro) THREE KINDS OF KISSING - SCOTTISH SHORT STORIES
In other languages
under
British English: under /ˈʌndə/ PREPOSITION
If one thing is under another thing, it is lower down than it, or the second thing covers the first thing.
There was a dog under the table.
He was standing under a large painting.
American English: under
Arabic: تـَحْتَ
Brazilian Portuguese: sob
Chinese: 在...之下
Croatian: ispod
Czech: pod
Danish: under
Dutch: onder
European Spanish: debajo de
Finnish: alla
French: sous
German: unter
Greek: κάτω από
Italian: sotto
Japanese: ･･･の下に
Korean: ...의 밑에
Norwegian: under
Polish: pod
European Portuguese: sob
Romanian: sub
Russian: под
Latin American Spanish: debajo de
Swedish: under
Thai: ใต้ ภายใต้
Turkish: altında
Ukrainian: під
Vietnamese: phía dưới
All related terms of 'under'
go under
If a business or project goes under , it becomes unable to continue in operation or in existence .
sit under
to be seated on the right of (the player)
under age
Someone who is under age is not legally old enough to do something, for example to buy an alcoholic drink.
under way
If an activity is under way , it has already started. If an activity gets under way , it starts.
come under
If you come under attack or pressure , for example , people attack you or put pressure on you.
down under
People sometimes refer to Australia and New Zealand as down under .
fall under
to come under (an influence, etc.)
keep under
to remain or cause to remain below (a surface)
over-under
a type of bet whereby the better guesses whether a given statistic , usually the combined score of a sports match , will be higher or lower than a bookmaker's prediction
plow under
to bury ( crops or vegetation ) by plowing, so as to enrich the soil or in seeking to prevent overproduction
snow under
to weigh down or overwhelm with work, etc.
under arms
If a country has people under arms , it has people trained to use weapons and to fight a war.
under cover
If you are under cover , you are under something that protects you from gunfire , bombs , or the weather .
under fire
If you come under fire or are under fire , someone starts shooting at you.
under foot
on the ground ; beneath one's feet
under guard
If someone is under guard , they are being guarded.
under oath
bound or obligated by having made a formal oath , as in a court of law
under sail
If you cross the sea under sail , you cross it in a ship that has sails rather than an engine .
under seal
If a document is under seal , it is in a sealed envelope and cannot be looked at, for example because it is private .
under siege
If someone or something is under siege , they are being severely criticized or put under a great deal of pressure.
under watch
If someone is being kept under watch , they are being guarded or observed all the time.
under weigh
→ a variant spelling of under way
under wraps
If you keep something under wraps , you keep it secret , often until you are ready to announce it at some time in the future .
bubble under
to remain just beneath a particular level
buckle under
If you buckle under to a person or a situation, you do what they want you to do, even though you do not want to do it.
knuckle under
If you knuckle under , you do what someone else tells you to do or what a situation forces you to do, because you realize that you have no choice .
snowed under
If you say that you are snowed under , you are emphasizing that you have a lot of work or other things to deal with.
under arrest
in legal custody , as of the police
under canvas
If you are living and sleeping under canvas , you are living and sleeping in a tent.
under control
If something harmful is under control , it is being dealt with successfully and is unlikely to cause any more harm .
under escort
If someone is taken somewhere under escort , they are accompanied by guards , either because they have been arrested or because they need to be protected .
under hatches
below decks
under licence
If someone does something under licence , they do it by special permission from a government or other authority.
under orders
If you are under orders to do something, you have been told to do it by someone in authority .
under protest
having voiced objections ; unwillingly
under-report
to give an insufficient account or report of
under threat
If a person or thing is under threat , there is a danger that something unpleasant might be done to them, or that they might cease to exist.
under contract
If you are under contract to someone, you have signed a contract agreeing to work for them, and for no-one else, during a fixed period of time.
under-secretary
An under-secretary is a senior official with an important post in a government department .
under suspicion
regarded with distrust
up-and-under
a high kick forwards followed by a charge to the place where the ball lands
out from under
away from difficulty or danger
under a cloud
If someone is under a cloud , people have a poor opinion of them because of something they have done.
under a spell
held in or as if in a spell
under color of
under the pretext or guise of
under cover of
If you do something under cover of a particular situation , you are able to do it without being noticed because of that situation.
under discussion
If something is under discussion , it is still being talked about and a final decision has not yet been reached.
under the gun
under great pressure and in danger of failing completely
under the lee
towards the lee
under the rose
in secret ; privately; sub rosa
Chinese translation of 'under'
under
(ˈʌndəʳ)
prep
(= beneath) 在 ... 下面 (zài ... xiàmiàn)
⇒ the cupboard under the sink在水槽下面的橱柜 (zài shuǐcáo xiàmiàn de chúguì)
(= less than)[age, price]不到 (bù dào)
⇒ He's still under 18.他还不到18岁。 (Tā hái bù dào shíbā suì.)
(= according to)[law, agreement]根据(據) (gēnjù)
⇒ Equal pay for men and women is guaranteed under English law.根据英格兰法律，应保证男女同工同酬。 (Gēnjù Yīnggélán fǎlǜ, yīng bǎozhèng nánnǚ tónggōng tóngchóu.)
[sb's leadership]在 ... 的领(領)导(導)下 (zài ... de lǐngdǎo xià)
⇒ China under Chairman Mao毛主席领导下的中国 (Máo zhǔxí lǐngdǎo xià de Zhōngguó)
[chapter, heading etc]在 ... 中 (zài ... zhōng)
⇒ It's filed under letter C.它被归在字母C中。 (Tā bèi guī zài zìmǔ C zhōng.)
adv
[go, fly]从(從)下面 (cóng xiàmiàn)
(in age, price etc) 以下 (yǐxià)
⇒ children aged 12 and under12岁及以下的儿童 (shí'èr suì jí yǐxià de értóng)
she writes under the name Jan Hunt她以简(簡)·亨特这(這)个(個)名字写(寫)作 (tā yǐ Jiǎn Hēngtè zhège míngzi xiě zuò)
( responsibility ) 在某人照管下 zài mǒurén zhàoguǎn xià ⇒ My first concern is for the people under my charge. → 我首先考虑的是由我照管的人。 Wǒ shǒuxiān kǎolǜ de shì yóu wǒ zhàoguǎn de rén.