surface


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

sur·face

 (sûr′fəs)

n.

1.

a. The outer or the topmost boundary of an object.

b. A material layer constituting such a boundary.

2. Mathematics

a. The boundary of a three-dimensional figure.

b. The two-dimensional locus of points located in three-dimensional space.

c. A portion of space having length and breadth but no thickness.

3. The superficial or external aspect: "a flamboyant, powerful confidence man who lives entirely on the surface of experience" (Frank Conroy).

4. An airfoil.

adj.

1. Relating to, on, or at a surface: surface algae in the water.

2. Relating to or occurring on or near the surface of the earth.

3.

a. Superficial.

b. Apparent as opposed to real.

v. sur·faced, sur·fac·ing, sur·fac·es

v.tr.

1. To provide with a surface or apply a surface to: surface a table with walnut; surface a road with asphalt.

2. To bring to the surface: surface a submarine.

3. To make known; expose or reveal: the first news report that surfaced the allegations.

v.intr.

1. To rise to the surface.

2. To emerge after concealment.

3. To work or dig a mine at or near the surface of the ground.

Idiom:

on the surface

To all intents and purposes; to all outward appearances: a soldier who, on the surface, appeared brave and patriotic.


[French : sur-, above (from Old French; see sur-) + face, face (from Old French; see face).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

surface

(ˈsɜːfɪs)

n

1.

a. the exterior face of an object or one such face

b. (as modifier): surface gloss.

2.

a. the area or size of such a face

b. (as modifier): surface measurements.

3. material resembling such a face, with length and width but without depth

4.

a. the superficial appearance as opposed to the real nature

b. (as modifier): a surface resemblance.

5. (Mathematics) geometry

a. the complete boundary of a solid figure

b. a continuous two-dimensional configuration

6. (Physical Geography)

a. the uppermost level of the land or sea

b. (as modifier): surface transportation.

7. come to the surface to emerge; become apparent

8. on the surface to all appearances

vb

9. to rise or cause to rise to or as if to the surface (of water, etc)

10. (tr) to treat the surface of, as by polishing, smoothing, etc

11. (tr) to furnish with a surface

12. (Mining & Quarrying) (intr) mining

a. to work at or near the ground surface

b. to wash surface ore deposits

13. (intr) to become apparent; emerge

14. (intr) informal

a. to wake up

b. to get up

[C17: from French, from sur on + face face, probably on the model of Latin superficies]

ˈsurfaceless adj

ˈsurfacer n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sur•face

(ˈsɜr fɪs)

n., adj., v. -faced, -fac•ing. n.

1. the outer face, outside, or exterior boundary of a thing; outermost or uppermost layer or area.

2. any face of a body or thing: the six surfaces of a cube.

3. extent or area of outer face; superficial area.

4. the outward appearance, esp. as distinguished from the inner nature.

5. any geometric figure having only two dimensions; part or all of the boundary of a solid.

6. land or sea transportation, rather than air, underground, or undersea transportation.

7. an airfoil.

adj.

8. of, on, or pertaining to the surface; external.

9. apparent rather than real; superficial.

10. of, pertaining to, or via land or sea: surface mail.

11. of or pertaining to the surface structure of a sentence.

v.t.

12. to finish the surface of; give a particular kind of surface to.

13. to bring to the surface; cause to appear openly.

v.i.

14. to rise to the surface.

15. to work on or at the surface.

16. to appear or emerge; turn up: New evidence has surfaced.

[1605–15; < French, =sur- sur-1 + face face, appar. modeled on Latin superficies superficies]

sur′face•less, adj.

sur′fac•er, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

surface


Past participle: surfaced
Gerund: surfacing
Imperative
surface
surface
Present
I surface
you surface
he/she/it surfaces
we surface
you surface
they surface
Preterite
I surfaced
you surfaced
he/she/it surfaced
we surfaced
you surfaced
they surfaced
Present Continuous
I am surfacing
you are surfacing
he/she/it is surfacing
we are surfacing
you are surfacing
they are surfacing
Present Perfect
I have surfaced
you have surfaced
he/she/it has surfaced
we have surfaced
you have surfaced
they have surfaced
Past Continuous
I was surfacing
you were surfacing
he/she/it was surfacing
we were surfacing
you were surfacing
they were surfacing
Past Perfect
I had surfaced
you had surfaced
he/she/it had surfaced
we had surfaced
you had surfaced
they had surfaced
Future
I will surface
you will surface
he/she/it will surface
we will surface
you will surface
they will surface
Future Perfect
I will have surfaced
you will have surfaced
he/she/it will have surfaced
we will have surfaced
you will have surfaced
they will have surfaced
Future Continuous
I will be surfacing
you will be surfacing
he/she/it will be surfacing
we will be surfacing
you will be surfacing
they will be surfacing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been surfacing
you have been surfacing
he/she/it has been surfacing
we have been surfacing
you have been surfacing
they have been surfacing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been surfacing
you will have been surfacing
he/she/it will have been surfacing
we will have been surfacing
you will have been surfacing
they will have been surfacing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been surfacing
you had been surfacing
he/she/it had been surfacing
we had been surfacing
you had been surfacing
they had been surfacing
Conditional
I would surface
you would surface
he/she/it would surface
we would surface
you would surface
they would surface
Past Conditional
I would have surfaced
you would have surfaced
he/she/it would have surfaced
we would have surfaced
you would have surfaced
they would have surfaced

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun1.surface - the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundarysurface - the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary; "there is a special cleaner for these surfaces"; "the cloth had a pattern of red dots on a white surface"

artefact, artifact - a man-made object taken as a whole

bed - the flat surface of a printing press on which the type form is laid in the last stage of producing a newspaper or magazine or book etc.

gameboard, board - a flat portable surface (usually rectangular) designed for board games; "he got out the board and set up the pieces"

face - the striking or working surface of an implement

ground - (art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the paint for a painting

horizontal surface, level - a flat surface at right angles to a plumb line; "park the car on the level"

Klein bottle - a closed surface with only one side; formed by passing one end of a tube through the side of the tube and joining it with the other end

meniscus - (physics) the curved upper surface of a nonturbulent liquid in a vertical tube

miter, mitre - the surface of a beveled end of a piece where a miter joint is made; "he covered the miter with glue before making the joint"

Mobius strip - a continuous closed surface with only one side; formed from a rectangular strip by rotating one end 180 degrees and joining it with the other end

plasterwork, plaster - a surface of hardened plaster (as on a wall or ceiling); "there were cracks in the plaster"

projection screen, screen, silver screen - a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing

side - an extended outer surface of an object; "he turned the box over to examine the bottom side"; "they painted all four sides of the house"

skin - an outer surface (usually thin); "the skin of an airplane"

spandrel, spandril - an approximately triangular surface area between two adjacent arches and the horizontal plane above them

superficies - outer surface of an area or a body

tread - the grooved surface of a pneumatic tire

vertical surface - a surface that is vertical

work surface - a horizontal surface for supporting objects used in working or playing games

2.surface - the extended two-dimensional outer boundary of a three-dimensional object; "they skimmed over the surface of the water"; "a brush small enough to clean every dental surface"; "the sun has no distinct surface"

interface - (chemistry) a surface forming a common boundary between two things (two objects or liquids or chemical phases)

hard palate - the bony part of the roof of the mouth

palate, roof of the mouth - the upper surface of the mouth that separates the oral and nasal cavities

side, face - a surface forming part of the outside of an object; "he examined all sides of the crystal"; "dew dripped from the face of the leaf"

boundary, bounds, bound - the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something

celestial sphere, empyrean, firmament, heavens, vault of heaven, welkin, sphere - the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected

end - the surface at either extremity of a three-dimensional object; "one end of the box was marked `This side up'"

inside, interior - the inner or enclosed surface of something

exterior, outside - the outer side or surface of something

substratum, substrate - a surface on which an organism grows or is attached; "the gardener talked about the proper substrate for acid-loving plants"

wavefront, wave front - (physics) an imaginary surface joining all points in space that are reached at the same instant by a wave propagating through a medium

photosphere - the intensely luminous surface of a star (especially the sun)

3.surface - the outermost level of the land or sea; "earthquakes originate far below the surface"; "three quarters of the Earth's surface is covered by water"

layer - a relatively thin sheetlike expanse or region lying over or under another

body of water, water - the part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean); "they invaded our territorial waters"; "they were sitting by the water's edge"

floor - the bottom surface of any lake or other body of water

floor - the lower inside surface of any hollow structure; "the floor of the pelvis"; "the floor of the cave"

geosphere, lithosphere - the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle

opening, gap - an open or empty space in or between things; "there was a small opening between the trees"; "the explosion made a gap in the wall"

4.surface - a superficial aspect as opposed to the real nature of something; "it was not what it appeared to be on the surface"

aspect, facet - a distinct feature or element in a problem; "he studied every facet of the question"

5.surface - information that has become public; "all the reports were out in the open"; "the facts had been brought to the surface"

general knowledge, public knowledge - knowledge that is available to anyone

6.surface - a device that provides reactive force when in motion relative to the surrounding airsurface - a device that provides reactive force when in motion relative to the surrounding air; can lift or control a plane in flight

aileron - an airfoil that controls lateral motion

device - an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose; "the device is small enough to wear on your wrist"; "a device intended to conserve water"

elevator - the airfoil on the tailplane of an aircraft that makes it ascend or descend

flaps, flap - a movable airfoil that is part of an aircraft wing; used to increase lift or drag

horizontal stabiliser, horizontal stabilizer, tailplane - the horizontal airfoil of an aircraft's tail assembly that is fixed and to which the elevator is hinged

leading edge - forward edge of an airfoil

rotary wing, rotor blade - the long airfoil that rotates to provide the lift that supports a helicopter in the air

rudder - a hinged vertical airfoil mounted at the tail of an aircraft and used to make horizontal course changes

spoiler - a hinged airfoil on the upper surface of an aircraft wing that is raised to reduce lift and increase drag

spoiler - an airfoil mounted on the rear of a car to reduce lift at high speeds

stabilizer - airfoil consisting of a device for stabilizing an aircraft

trailing edge - the rear edge of an airfoil

vertical tail - the vertical airfoil in the tail assembly of an aircraft

wing - one of the horizontal airfoils on either side of the fuselage of an airplane

Verb1.surface - come to the surface

ascend, go up - travel up, "We ascended the mountain"; "go up a ladder"; "The mountaineers slowly ascended the steep slope"

emerge - come up to the surface of or rise; "He felt new emotions emerge"

resurface - reappear on the surface

bubble up, intumesce - move upwards in bubbles, as from the effect of heating; also used metaphorically; "Gases bubbled up from the earth"; "Marx's ideas have bubbled up in many places in Latin America"

well, swell - come up, as of a liquid; "Tears well in her eyes"; "the currents well up"

2.surface - put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface; "coat the cake with chocolate"

rubber, rubberise, rubberize - coat or impregnate with rubber; "rubberize fabric for rain coats"

anodise, anodize - coat a metal with an oxide coat

gelatinize - coat with gelatin

skim - coat (a liquid) with a layer

stucco - coat with stucco; "stucco the ceiling"

egg - coat with beaten egg; "egg a schnitzel"

encrust, incrust - cover or coat with a crust

dredge - cover before cooking; "dredge the chicken in flour before frying it"

soot - coat with soot

refinish - give a new surface; "refinish the dining room furniture"

brush on - apply with a brush; "Brush butter on the roast"

patinate, patinise, patinize - coat with a patina

resurface - cover with a new surface

crumb - coat with bread crumbs; "crumb a cutlet"

copper - coat with a layer of copper

finish - provide with a finish; "The carpenter finished the table beautifully"; "this shirt is not finished properly"

bonderise, bonderize - coat with a substance that will prevent corrosion; "bonderize steel"

blacktop - coat with blacktop; "blacktop the driveway"

foliate - coat or back with metal foil; "foliate glass"

galvanise, galvanize - cover with zinc; "galvanize steel"

pave - cover with a material such as stone or concrete to make suitable for vehicle traffic; "pave the roads in the village"

varnish, seal - cover with varnish

glaze - coat with a glaze; "the potter glazed the dishes"; "glaze the bread with eggwhite"

tar - coat with tar; "tar the roof"; "tar the roads"

cover - provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers"

enrobe - provide with a coating; "enrobe the nuts with chocolate"

daub, plaster - coat with plaster; "daub the wall"

render - coat with plastic or cement; "render the brick walls in the den"

skimcoat - coat with a mixture of gypsum and spackle; "he skimcoated the drywall"

paint - apply paint to; coat with paint; "We painted the rooms yellow"

cement - cover or coat with cement

grit - cover with a grit; "grit roads"

plate - coat with a layer of metal; "plate spoons with silver"

metal - cover with metal

macadamise, macadamize, tarmac - surface with macadam; "macadam the road"

size - cover or stiffen or glaze a porous material with size or sizing (a glutinous substance)

metalize, metallize - coat with metal

platinize - coat with metallic platinum

porcelainize - coat with porcelain or a porcelain-like surface

zinc - coat or cover with zinc

3.surface - appear or become visiblesurface - appear or become visible; make a showing; "She turned up at the funeral"; "I hope the list key is going to surface again"

appear - come into sight or view; "He suddenly appeared at the wedding"; "A new star appeared on the horizon"

Adj.1.surface - on the surface; "surface materials of the moon"

overhead - located or originating from above; "an overhead crossing"

subsurface - beneath the surface; "subsurface materials of the moon"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

surface

noun

3. façade, outward appearance, superficial appearance A much wider controversy was bubbling under the surface.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

surface

noun

1. The outer layer of an object:

2. An outward appearance:

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

سَطْحُسَطْح خارِجيمَظْهَر خارجييَصْعَد إلى السَّطْحيُغَطّي السَّطْح

povrchvnějšekvynořit sedát nový povrch

overfladefå en ny belægningkomme op til overfladen

pinta

površina

felszínfelület

koma upp á yfirborîiîsetja lag á, leggjayfirborî

表面

표면

dėti dangąišnirti į paviršiųpaprastas paštaspaviršiuspirmas žvilgsnis

ārpusenoklāt virsmuuznirtvirsmavirspuse

dať na povrchpovrch

površina

yta

พื้นผิว

bề mặt

surface

[ˈsɜːfɪs]

A. N

2. (Math, Geom)

2.2. (= side) [of solid] → cara f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

surface

n

(Math, of cube etc) → Fläche f

(Min) at/on/up to the surfaceüber Tage

adj attr

(Min) worker, jobüber Tage


surface

:

surface dressing

n (on roads, = method) → Straßenreparatur fmit Rollsplitt; (= material)Rollsplitt m

surface grammar

nOberflächengrammatik f

surface-mounted

adjoberflächenmontiert

surface-to-air

adj attrBoden-Luft-; surface missileBoden-Luft-Rakete f

surface-to-surface

adj attrBoden-Boden-; surface missileBoden-Boden-Rakete f

surface vessel

nSchiff nt (im Gegensatz zu Unterseeboot)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

surface

(ˈsəːfis) noun

1. the outside part (of anything). Two-thirds of the earth's surface is covered with water; This road has a very uneven surface.

2. the outward appearance of, or first impression made by, a person or thing. On the surface he seems cold and unfriendly, but he's really a kind person.

verb

1. to put a surface on (a road etc). The road has been damaged by frost and will have to be surfaced again.

2. (of a submarine, diver etc) to come to the surface.

surface mail

mail sent by ship, train etc and not by aeroplane.

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

surface

سَطْحُ povrch overflade Oberfläche επιφάνεια superficie pinta surface površina superficie 表面 표면 oppervlak overflate powierzchnia superfície поверхность yta พื้นผิว yüzey bề mặt 表面

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

sur·face

n. superficie; porción o límite exterior de una estructura;

___ tensiontensión superficial.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

These experiences were very memorable and valuable to me -- anchored in forty feet of water, and twenty or thirty rods from the shore, surrounded sometimes by thousands of small perch and shiners, dimpling the surface with their tails in the moonlight, and communicating by a long flaxen line with mysterious nocturnal fishes which had their dwelling forty feet below, or sometimes dragging sixty feet of line about the pond as I drifted in the gentle night breeze, now and then feeling a slight vibration along it, indicative of some life prowling about its extremity, of dull uncertain blundering purpose there, and slow to make up its mind.

Like the rest of our waters, when much agitated, in clear weather, so that the surface of the waves may reflect the sky at the right angle, or because there is more light mixed with it, it appears at a little distance of a darker blue than the sky itself; and at such a time, being on its surface, and looking with divided vision, so as to see the reflection, I have discerned a matchless and indescribable light blue, such as watered or changeable silks and sword blades suggest, more cerulean than the sky itself, alternating with the original dark green on the opposite sides of the waves, which last appeared but muddy in comparison.

They were ever chatting, discussing, and calculating the various chances of a meeting, watching narrowly the vast surface of the ocean.

What would an aeronaut, borne to this distance from the earth, distinguish on its surface? We cannot say, since the greatest ascension has not been more than 25,000 feet.

From the fact of the reef-building corals not living at great depths, it is absolutely certain that throughout these vast areas, wherever there is now an atoll, a foundation must have originally existed within a depth of from 20 to 30 fathoms from the surface. It is improbable in the highest degree that broad, lofty, isolated, steep-sided banks of sediment, arranged in groups and lines hundreds of leagues in length, could have been deposited in the central and profoundest parts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, at an immense distance from any continent, and where the water is perfectly limpid.

I often wondered how it had happened that I had ever survived the first ten years of my life within the inner world, when, naked and primitively armed, I had traversed great areas of her beast-ridden surface.

Having deposited their loads upon the broken part, they dived into the water, and shortly reappeared at the surface. Each now brought a quantity of mud, with which he would plaster the sticks and bushes just deposited.

The highest summit of all towers to a height of 22,606 feet above the surface of the lunar disc.

Every one knows that by the peculiar cunning of their gills, the finny tribes in general breathe the air which at all times is combined with the element in which they swim, hence, a herring or a cod might live a century, and never once raise its head above the surface. But owing to his marked internal structure which gives him regular lungs, like a human being's, the whale can only live by inhaling the disengaged air in the open atmosphere.

But the moon has no seas, so far as we can ascertain; its surface representing one of strictly volcanic origin, the mountains being numerous to a wonderful degree.

Our seats, into which we strapped ourselves, were so arranged upon transverse bars that we would be upright whether the craft were ploughing her way downward into the bowels of the earth, or running horizontally along some great seam of coal, or rising vertically toward the surface again.

The bottom, or under surface, which appears to those who view it below, is one even regular plate of adamant, shooting up to the height of about two hundred yards.


Dictionary browser ?

Full browser ?