as in exterior
an outer part or layer
the surface of just about everything in the kitchen was covered with soot after we put the grease fire out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to emerge
to come to one's attention especially gradually or unexpectedly
no information regarding the stolen car has surfaced since the police found it abandoned on a country road
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in superficial
lying on or affecting only the outer layer of something
a surface stain on the wood that can easily be removed with a mild detergent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of surface
Newsroom Meteorologist, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
The ice that’s needed for curling is different from the glass-smooth surfaces needed for hockey or figure skating, and trying to curl when a stone can easily get caught in a leftover skating rut on the ice can be really frustrating, Camarena says.
—Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 11 Feb. 2026
More allegations against Garcia-Aquino began to surface after Hernandez's death.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Note that the multi-surface file, scissors and saw join the blade on the outside of the closed Alpha body, accessible without opening the plier handles.
—New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surface
Noun
This essentially condenses the air, forming clouds at the surface that could reduce visibility to less than a mile.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
The ice that’s needed for curling is different from the glass-smooth surfaces needed for hockey or figure skating, and trying to curl when a stone can easily get caught in a leftover skating rut on the ice can be really frustrating, Camarena says.
—Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
All of this comes after rumors that Annie’s husband, Tomasso Cioni, was a suspect in the investigation had surfaced in the first few days after Guthrie’s disappearance.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 11 Feb. 2026
More allegations against Garcia-Aquino began to surface after Hernandez's death.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Destroyer Squadron 15 said the war game improved overall interoperability among the four forces in advanced maneuvering scenarios, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, information sharing and maritime operations.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Note that the multi-surface file, scissors and saw join the blade on the outside of the closed Alpha body, accessible without opening the plier handles.
—New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surface
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surface
Noun
-
The Xenon gloves from Rab are remarkably lightweight, warm, and breathable thanks to its featherweight but durable Pertex exterior and just right amount of premium Primaloft Gold insulation inside.—
Joe Jackson,
Outside,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The exteriors may be similar, but the interiors couldn’t be more different.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As the shellshocked families of six children and two women grieve their loss in one of the worst mass shootings in Canada's history, details are emerging about the shooter's mental health struggles and history with police.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Paris — Gisèle Pelicot emerged as a global feminist hero in 2024 by transforming her horrific, personal story into a public battle against rape culture.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That leads to high temperatures, which create a glowing protostar due to the rapid (kinetic) motion of the internal gas particles, and eventually, after a few tens of millions of years, the core temperatures rise high enough (above 4 million K or so) that nuclear fusion of hydrogen begins.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The information will be incorporated into the NEMO ocean model, which forms part of the UK Earth System Model, improving predictions as polar ice loss accelerates with rising global temperatures.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike body composition metrics, BMI obscures the true extent of metabolic dysfunction and cannot distinguish between muscle and fat — or between superficial fat and the visceral fat that drives diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions.—
Bret Scher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
After he was taken into custody, he was found to be bleeding from his hand and had several superficial cuts on his stomach.—
Patrick Damp,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The lightweight, black satiny nylon jacket featured ruched velvet stripes and a boned ruffle around the neck, a tie belt and a zip front.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The preliminary investigation showed that the front of a Range Rover collided with the front of a Nissan Altima before coming to rest blocking the northbound lanes of the road.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Within the context of Moore’s Law, the primary bottlenecks arise from the physical limits of transistor scaling, memory and data-transfer speeds, and software and algorithmic inefficiencies.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Problems arise when trees interfere with power lines, but professional pruning can correct this.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Amid the nods to social media and cancel culture and the shallow perils of modern celebrity, the image of Taylor-Joy’s disciplined group of insurgents, who speak in almost archaic, poetic dialogue, strikes a bracing contrast.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Vegetables with slow root development typically form deeper vertical roots rather than shallow horizontal roots.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In a video demo, Alibaba showed a robot with pincers for hands that appeared to be able to count oranges, pick them up and place them in a basket.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
-
An armed intruder stood on Guthrie’s doorstep in the dead of night, wearing a balaclava, a bulky backpack, and what appeared to be black neoprene gloves.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surface. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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