surface (surfaces plural & 3rd person present) (surfacing present participle) (surfaced past tense & past participle )
1 n-count The surface of something is the flat top part of it or the outside of it.
usu with supp
Ozone forms a protective layer between 12 and 30 miles above the Earth's surface., ...tiny little waves on the surface of the water..., Its total surface area was seven thousand square feet.
2 n-count A work surface is a flat area, for example the top of a table, desk, or kitchen cupboard, on which you can work.
usu with supp
It can simply be left on the work surface...
3 n-sing When you refer to thesurface of a situation, you are talking about what can be seen easily rather than what is hidden or not immediately obvious.
usu the N
Back in Britain, things appear, on the surface, simpler..., Social unrest, never far below the surface in Brazil, has erupted over the last few days...
4 adj Surface is used to describe the parts of the armed forces which travel by ship or by land rather than underwater or in the air.
ADJ n
In contrast with its surface fleet, Britain's submarine force was relatively small.
5 verb If someone or something under water surfaces, they come up to the surface of the water.
He surfaced, gasping for air. V
6 verb When something such as a piece of news, a feeling, or a problem surfaces, it becomes known or becomes obvious.
(=emerge)
The paper says the evidence, when it surfaces, is certain to cause uproar... V
7 verb When someone surfaces, they appear after not being seen for some time, for example because they have been asleep. INFORMAL What time do you surface? V
surface mail
Surface mail is the system of sending letters and parcels by road, rail, or sea, not by air. n-uncount
surface-to-air
Surface-to-air missiles are fired from the ground or a boat and aimed at aircraft or at other missiles. adj ADJ n
surface-to-surface
Surface-to-surface missiles are fired from the ground or a boat and aimed at targets on the ground or at other boats. adj ADJ n
The surface-to-surface missiles were fired from the west of the capital.
work surface (work surfaces plural ), worksurface A work surface is a flat surface, usually in a kitchen, which is easy to clean and on which you can do things such as prepare food. n-count
