Surface Smooth Layer Large Area Water Collected Noun

• we need a flat, smooth surface to play the game on.
• an uneven road surface
• a broad leaf with a large surface area
• surface water (= rainwater that has collected on the surface of a road) made driving conditions hazardous.

surface

1. the outside or top layer of something
• We need a flat, smooth surface to play the game on.
• an uneven road surface
• a broad leaf with a large surface area
• Surface water (= rainwater that has collected on the surface of a road) made driving conditions hazardous.
• Teeth have a hard surface layer called enamel.

Extra Examples

• Smooth the surface with a spatula.
• the inner surface of a bone
• the surface layer of the skin
2. the top layer of an area of water or land
• the earth's surface
• These plants float on the surface of the water.
• We could see fish swimming just below the surface.
• Alligators lurk beneath the surface of the swamp.
• The earth’s surface temperature is rising.

Extra Examples

• Cracks began to appear in the surface of the earth.
• The ball rolled onto the frozen surface of the pond.
• The captain brought the submarine to the surface.
• The ring slowly sank beneath the surface of the mud pool.
• The wind rippled the surface of the lake.
• Visible light from the sun passes through the atmosphere to the Earth's surface.
3. the flat upper part of a piece of furniture, that is used for working on
• SEE ALSO work surface
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/work-surface
• She's cleaned all the kitchen surfaces.
• You'll need a large smooth surface for rolling out the pastry.
4. the outer appearance of a person, thing or situation; the qualities that you see or notice, that are not hidden
• Rage bubbled just below the surface of his mind.
• She gives the impression of being rather conventional, but under the surface she is wildly eccentric.
5. when not thought about deeply or carefully and completely; when not looked at carefully
• It seems like a good idea on the surface but there are sure to be problems.
• On the surface, he appeared unchanged.
• On the surface his words were funny, but I detected a lot of anger behind them.
6. to deal with, understand, or find out about only a small part of a subject or problem
• We left feeling that we had just scratched the surface of this fascinating country.
• The investigation barely scratched the surface of the city's drug problem.

Word Origin

• early 17th cent.: from French (from sur- and face), suggested by Latin superficies.