underwater

adjective

un·​der·​wa·​ter ˌən-dər-ˈwȯ-tər 

-ˈwä-

1

: lying, growing, worn, performed, or operating below the surface of the water

underwater plants

2

: being below the waterline of a ship

3

a

: having, relating to, or being a mortgage loan for which more is owed than the property securing the loan is worth

b

: having, relating to, or being a stock option for which the price of the option is higher than the current market value of the stock

underwater adverb

Synonyms

• aquatic
• submarine
• submerged
• sunken

Examples of underwater in a Sentence

underwater plants don't require as much light to grow as surface plants

a vessel designed for underwater exploration

Recent Examples on the Web

Biscayne National Park Only five percent of this national park is on land—the rest is underwater. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 15 Dec. 2024

The map, developed by researchers at Climate Central, uses advanced predictive modeling to show which areas could be underwater by 2050. —Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024

This underwater inactive volcano was discovered off the coast of California in 1933 and is massive, spanning 25 miles. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024

Buy Now See Which PEOPLE Book Picks Also Made the New York Times' Top 100 of 2024 02 of 20 'A History of the World in 12 Shipwrecks' by David Gibbins Dive deep into what shipwrecks tell us about mankind's history with underwater archeologist David Gibbins. —Lizz Schumer, People.com, 14 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

underwater

adjective

un·​der·​wa·​ter ˈən-dər-ˈwȯt-ər 

-ˈwät-

: lying, growing, worn, performed, or operating below the surface of the water

underwater plants

an underwater cave

underwater

-ˈwȯt-

-ˈwät-

adverb

Legal Definition

underwater

adjective

un·​der·​wa·​ter

1

: owing more on a mortgage loan than the property securing the loan is worth

underwater homeowners

2

: being or relating to a mortgage loan in which more is owed than the property securing the loan is worth

underwater mortgages

underwater properties