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underwater

American  
[uhn-der-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈʌn dərˈwɔ tər, -ˈwɒt ər /

adjective

  1. existing or occurring under water.

  2. designed to be used under water.

  3. located below a ship's waterline.

adverb

  1. beneath the water.

    to travel underwater.

noun

  1. the water beneath the surface.

    cold currents in the underwater.

  2. underwaters, the depths, as of a sea, lake, etc.

underwater British  
/ ˈʌndəˈwɔːtə /

adjective

  1. being, occurring, or going under the surface of the water, esp the sea

    underwater exploration

  2. nautical below the water line of a vessel

  3. (of a stock option or other asset) having a market value below its purchase value

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. beneath the surface of the water

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of underwater

First recorded in 1620–30; under- + water

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

My reflexes were so slow, it was like I was underwater.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some rest over deep troughs or underwater mountains, while others lie across broad, flat plains.

From Science Daily

Known as the King's Trough Complex, this vast underwater structure stretches roughly 500 kilometers and includes a series of parallel trenches and deep basins.

From Science Daily

That pattern led some researchers to suggest these fish eating theropods may have been fully aquatic predators that hunted underwater.

From Science Daily

The underwater cables that keep it connected to the internet are susceptible to sabotage.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.