BELOW :
adv : in a lower position (than), under
From the top of the skyscraper the cars below us looked like insects.
The author's name was printed below the title.
For further information on this subject, see below (= lower on the page or later in the book) .
The ship's captain went below (= to the lower, covered part of the ship) .
Do you usually wear your skirts above or below the knee?
She has three people working below her (= people to whom she gives orders) .
adv : less than a particular amount or level
They have three children below the age of (= younger than) four.
His marks in English have been below average for some time now.
The temperature has fallen below zero/freezing (= cooled to less than zero) recently.
Last night it was eight degrees below (= eight degrees less than zero) .
UNDER :
prep : in or to a position below or lower than something else, often so that one thing covers the other
He hid under the bed.
In AD 79 the city of Pompei was buried under a layer of ash seven metres deep.
She put the thermometer under my tongue.
She was holding a file under her arm (= between her upper arm and the side of her chest) .
They stood under a tree (= below its branches) to avoid getting wet.
prep : less than
All items cost/are under a pound.
The discount applies only to children under (the age of) ten (= younger than ten) .
If you get under 50%, you've failed the exam.
Opposite over
BENEATH :
prep : in or to a lower position than, under
Jeremy hid the letter beneath a pile of papers.
We huddled together for warmth beneath the blankets.
After weeks at sea, it was wonderful to feel firm ground beneath our feet once more.
Emma was so tired and hungry that her legs were beginning to give way beneath her (= she was about to fall over) .
prep : be beneath you
If someone thinks an activity is beneath them, they think they should not have to do it because they are too important or too clever
Office work of any description he felt was beneath him.
UNDERNEATH :
adv & prep : under or below
The tunnel goes right underneath the city.
They found a bomb underneath the car.
Underneath that shy exterior, she's actually a very warm person.
He was wearing a garish T-shirt underneath his shirt.
NETHER :
literary or humorous
in a lower position
The boiler room is somewhere down in the building's nether regions .
SUB :
prefix- : under or below
Winter weather brought sub-zero (= less than 0 degrees) temperatures to much of the country.
