subterranean
adjective
sub·ter·ra·nean
ˌsəb-tə-ˈrā-nē-ən 
-nyən
variants
or less commonly subterraneous
ˌsəb-tə-ˈrā-nē-əs
-nyəs
1
: being, lying, or operating under the surface of the earth
2
: existing or working in secret : hidden
a subterranean network of criminals
subterraneanly
adverb
or less commonly subterraneously
Did you know?
Go Underground With Subterranean
A tunnel is a subterranean road or pathway, and a subway is a subterranean railway. The subterranean vaults at Fort Knox hold billions of dollars of gold reserves. Subterranean reservoirs called aquifers are tapped for water; in places where the pressure on the subterranean water is great enough, a hole drilled in the ground will bring it bubbling to the surface.
Examples of subterranean in a Sentence
a subterranean bunker that supposedly could withstand even an atomic blast
Recent Examples on the Web
Local residents dug them by hand out of the terrain’s red basaltic soil, resulting in an approximately 6,000-foot-long network of rooms and passageways that existed on three subterranean levels, ranging from 33 to 75 feet below ground.
—
Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2025
For travelers venturing to the Uco Valley, there’s Casa de Uco, with its subterranean spa, and The Vines Resort & Spa, where some of the 21 modernist villas feature private outdoor spaces with soaking tubs.
—Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2025
In the interwoven present-day scenes, Toni does very little but pace around an arena’s subterranean dressing room, arguing with her husband at home by phone while watching the bout on TV.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025
Her favourite part of the stay, however, was a pre-dinner swim in the lap pool (children are welcome in the subterranean spa between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.).
—Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subterranean
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Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2025
For travelers venturing to the Uco Valley, there’s Casa de Uco, with its subterranean spa, and The Vines Resort & Spa, where some of the 21 modernist villas feature private outdoor spaces with soaking tubs.
—Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2025
In the interwoven present-day scenes, Toni does very little but pace around an arena’s subterranean dressing room, arguing with her husband at home by phone while watching the bout on TV.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025
Her favourite part of the stay, however, was a pre-dinner swim in the lap pool (children are welcome in the subterranean spa between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.).
—Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subterranean
Cite this Entry
“Subterranean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subterranean. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
subterranean
adjective
sub·ter·ra·nean
ˌsəb-tə-ˈrā-nē-ən
-nyən
1
: being, lying, or operating under the surface of the earth
2
: existing or working in secret : hidden
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