surface
[noun]
Synonyms:
- outside, covering, exterior, face, side, top, veneer
[verb]
Synonyms:
- appear, arise, come to light, come up, crop up (informal), emerge, materialize, transpire

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Contrasted words: body, mass, inside, interior, lining, go down, go under, submerge, dive
Related Words: exterior, outside, cover, covering, come up

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. sur‧face¹ S3 W1 /ˈsɜːfəs, ˈsɜːfɪs $ ˈsɜːr-/ noun [countable]
[Word Family: verb: surface, resurface; noun: surface; adjective: surface]
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: sur- ( ⇒ surcharge) + face 'face']

1. WATER/LAND the top layer of an area of water or land
surface of
Dead leaves floated on the surface of the water.
Nearly 10% of the Earth’s surface is covered by ice.
Gas bubbles in any liquid tend to rise to the surface.
beneath/under/below the surface
The tunnel was some 300 feet below the surface.

2. OUTSIDE/TOP LAYER the outside or top layer of something
surface of
the surface of the vase
The road surfaces tend to be worse in the towns than in the country.
a frying pan with a non-stick surface
on sth’s surface
mold growing on the cheese’s surface

3. PERSON/SITUATION ETC the surface the qualities, emotions etc of someone or something that are easy to notice, but which are not the only or not the real qualities, emotions etc
on the surface
On the surface, it seems a simple story.
Half an hour later, Enid had calmed down, at least on the surface.
beneath the surface
I sensed a lot of tension and jealousy beneath the surface.
Prejudice is never far beneath the surface (=often appears) in the region.
rise/be brought/come to the surface
Violence has risen to the surface in the inner city.

4. FOR WORKING ON a flat area on the top of a cupboard, table, desk etc, that you use for cooking or working on
work/kitchen surface
Keep kitchen surfaces clean and tidy.
Work on a clean, flat surface.

5. SIDE OF AN OBJECT one of the sides of an object:
How many surfaces does a cube have?
⇒ scratch the surface at scratch¹(8)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. surface² verb
[Word Family: verb: surface, resurface; noun: surface; adjective: surface]

1. [intransitive] if information, feelings, or problems surface, they become known about or easy to notice
surface in
Rumors about the killings have begun to surface in the press.
the jealousy that had surfaced in her

2. [intransitive] if someone or something surfaces, they suddenly appear somewhere, especially after being gone or hidden for a long time Synonym : pop up:
Last year Toole surfaced again in Cuba.

3. [intransitive] to rise to the surface of water:
divers surfacing near the boat

4. [intransitive] British English informal to get out of bed, especially late:
Joe never surfaces before midday on Sunday.

5. [transitive] to put a surface on a road

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. surface³ adjective [only before noun]
[Word Family: verb: surface, resurface; noun: surface; adjective: surface]

1. relating to the part of the army, navy etc that travels by land or on the sea, rather than by air or under the sea:
the Navy’s surface forces

2. appearing to be true or real, but not representing what someone really feels or what something is really like Synonym : superficial:
Beneath the surface calm, she felt very insecure.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

surface
noun
ADJ. even, flat, level, smooth | rough, uneven | curved | firm, hard, solid | soft | slippery | calm, glassy, polished, reflective, shiny the glassy surface of the lake
frozen The ball rolled onto the frozen surface of the pond.
inner, interior, internal the inner surface of a bone
exterior, external, outer | lower, upper | water | floor, ground, land, road, rock, wall | kitchen, work/working a cleaning product for all kitchen surfaces
earth's Visible light from the sun passes through the atmosphere to the earth's surface.
VERB + SURFACE come (up) to, rise to | bring sth to The captain brought the submarine to the surface.
scratch, skim, touch (all figurative) The investigation barely scratched the surface of the city's drug problem.
ripple The wind rippled the surface of the lake.
SURFACE + NOUN area | level | layer the surface layer of the skin
temperature, tension | water Surface water made driving conditions hazardous.
PREP. above/over the ~, across the ~, along the ~, below/beneath/under the ~ The ring slowly sank beneath the surface of the mud pool. (figurative) She gives the impression of being rather conventional, but under the surface she is wildly eccentric.
in the ~ Cracks began to appear in the surface of the earth.
on a/the ~ a trail of pink flowers floating on the surface of the water (figurative) On the surface his words were funny, but I detected quite a lot of anger behind them.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

surface

the upper/top surface
The upper surface of the leaf is dull green.
the outer/inner surface
The outer surface of the shell is ridged.
smooth
Marble provides a cool smooth surface.
rough
I reached out and touched the rough surface of the stone wall.
textured (=not smooth, because of its design)
Many floor tiles have textured surfaces to make them less slippery underfoot.
hard
The path has a hard surface suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
shiny
This type of cloth has a shiny surface on one side.
polished
I didn't want to spill anything on the polished surface of the table.
slippery
The sign read: ‘Beware: slippery surface.’
flat
Put the compass on a flat surface.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

surface
ˈsə:fɪs
See: scratch the surface

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲