sub·sur·face
ˈsəb-ˌsər-fəs 
: earth material (such as rock) near but not exposed at the surface of the ground
sub·sur·face
ˌsəb-ˈsər-fəs
: of, relating to, or being something located beneath a surface and especially underground
Examples of subsurface in a Sentence
Adjective
a sandy wasteland that gave little hint of its subsurface wealth
Recent Examples on the Web
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026
Scientists hope future missions will settle the question once and for all — including NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, which is scheduled to arrive in the Jupiter system in 2030 and will closely study Europa’s icy shell, atmosphere, and possible subsurface ocean.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 1 June 2026
An entire ocean’s worth is unlikely, but a significant amount of subsurface water isn’t.
—John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 8 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for subsurface
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Noun
Flying is the company’s second Nova-C lander named Athena featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026
Scientists hope future missions will settle the question once and for all — including NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, which is scheduled to arrive in the Jupiter system in 2030 and will closely study Europa’s icy shell, atmosphere, and possible subsurface ocean.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Adjective
Unlike surface waves that break at the coast, these are subsurface shifts in ocean heat that move across thousands of miles.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 1 June 2026
An entire ocean’s worth is unlikely, but a significant amount of subsurface water isn’t.
—John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 8 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for subsurface
Cite this Entry
“Subsurface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subsurface. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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