underlies

verb

present tense third-person singular of underlie
1
as in supports
to lie underneath A layer of rock underlies the topsoil.

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in grounds
to form the basis or foundation of (something, such as an idea) The assumption that underlies their argument is faulty.

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of underlies And now this partnership really underlies our ecosystems on Earth. — Quanta Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026 Permafrost, a layer of ground made up of soil, rock and sediment, underlies nearly 15% of the land surface in the Northern Hemisphere. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 The same principle underlies brainwriting, a technique that reliably outperforms conventional brainstorming. — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 The same philosophy underlies a series of larger reforms already underway. — Bethany Mandel, The Washington Examiner, 16 Aug. 2026 This approach underlies the security of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum and, with RSA, helps secure modern internet traffic. — IEEE Spectrum, 7 July 2026 And that’s the question that underlies much of what’s onscreen in this perplexing, entertaining, frustrating picture. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 July 2026 But in making their arguments, the authors went further, addressing fundamental questions of politics by laying out the political theory that underlies that Constitution. — Jordan Cash, The Conversation, 8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underlies
  1. supports
  2. grounds
  3. establishes
  4. reinforces
  5. rests
  6. bases
Verb
  • Public health officials say there is no conclusive scientific evidence that supports using cat’s claw for any health purposes.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The approach also supports flexible battery replacement and scalable operation.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of supports
Verb
  • Sézane’s Bridget grounds the silhouette in glossy black leather, with a streamlined knee-high construction that works particularly well against oversized tailoring and fluid skirts.
    — Camila Quimper, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Tart Deco mixes black cherry, rose, and mimosa, then grounds them with birchwood, vetiver, and vanilla.
    — Ethan Stone October 9, Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of grounds
Verb
  • This discovery establishes a new way to couple mechanical motion and electricity at the smallest scales, opening new possibilities for molecular electronics.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Article 5 of the NATO charter contains the alliance's mutual-defense guarantee, which establishes that an attack on one is an attack on all.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of establishes
Verb
  • His son Gal, 25, was killed fighting in Gaza in December 2023, a loss that reinforces his appeal to voters focused on security.
    — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
  • That growing threat reinforces our conviction in cybersecurity as a long-term AI winner.
    — Alexa LoMonaco,Matthew J. Belvedere,Jeff Marks, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of reinforces
Verb
  • Garcia-Herrero said Europe's leverage largely rests on its position as a major destination market and the presence of large shipping companies that have avoided the Arctic because of environmental and commercial risks.
    — Lee Ying Shan,Matthew Tan, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
  • This has all but ensured that Democrats will retake the House in November, but the Senate rests on a knife’s edge.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of rests
Verb
  • Both brands offer a telematics safe driving program, which tracks your driving and bases your rate on factors like your braking, acceleration, speed and driving time.
    — Liz Knueven, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
  • This makes Kansas one of the few states that bases the requirement on payroll dollars rather than employee count.
    — Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of bases

Browse Nearby Words

underlie
underlies
underline
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Underlies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underlies. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All