Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Something that is beneath another thing is under the other thing.
She could see the muscles of his shoulders beneath his T-shirt...
She found pleasure in sitting beneath the trees...
...the frozen grass crunching beneath his feet.
= under
? above
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Beneath is also an adverb.
On a shelf beneath he spotted a photo album.
= below
? above
ADV: n ADV, ADV after v
2.
If you talk about what is beneath the surface of something, you are talking about the aspects of it which are hidden or not obvious.
...emotional strains beneath the surface...
Beneath the festive mood there is an underlying apprehension.
= under
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3.
If you say that someone or something is beneath you, you feel that they are not good enough for you or not suitable for you.
They decided she was marrying beneath her...
Many find themselves having to take jobs far beneath them.
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