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
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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
Photo : Carmel Realty Company The castle-like Turret House comes with a stainless spiral staircase leading down to a subterranean garage.
—
Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2025
The tunnels were discovered by experts from the Polytechnic University of Milan, who used ground-penetrating radar and laser scanners to map the 15th-century stronghold’s subterranean structures.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025
Take a stroll down a replica Victorian street, visit the subterranean cells of the Debtors’ Prison, or marvel at curiosities ranging from a 17th-century iron corset to a tin of Rowntree’s cocoa taken to Antarctica by Ernest Shackleton.
—Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2025
The show, created by JJ Bailey, begins in a remote (Wyoming, but wherever) and mysterious (vaguely) subterranean prison designed by somebody who once heard a reference to Jeremy Bentham’s concept of the Panopticon, but didn’t actually research it.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for subterranean 
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Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2025
The tunnels were discovered by experts from the Polytechnic University of Milan, who used ground-penetrating radar and laser scanners to map the 15th-century stronghold’s subterranean structures.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025
Take a stroll down a replica Victorian street, visit the subterranean cells of the Debtors’ Prison, or marvel at curiosities ranging from a 17th-century iron corset to a tin of Rowntree’s cocoa taken to Antarctica by Ernest Shackleton.
—Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2025
The show, created by JJ Bailey, begins in a remote (Wyoming, but wherever) and mysterious (vaguely) subterranean prison designed by somebody who once heard a reference to Jeremy Bentham’s concept of the Panopticon, but didn’t actually research it.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for subterranean
Dictionary Entries Near subterranean
Cite this Entry
“Subterranean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subterranean. Accessed 30 Jan. 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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