underground tunnel
7
3.2
- noun
- /ˈʌndərˌɡraʊnd ˈtʌnəl/
:
túnel subterráneo
- It's composed of 17 different buildings, all of which are connected through a series of underground tunnels.
- network of underground tunnels
He said, Oh, yeah, we, we had guys in in Vietnam that would use those to find underground tunnels, find land mines.
- He said, Oh, yeah, we, we had guys in in Vietnam that would use those to find underground tunnels, find land mines.
- And so because they're kind of your your little, they just burrowed little underground tunnels in your, in your soil.
Examples
-
As far as she knew, there was only one way out of D.B.'s house, the guarded underground tunnel.
Fiction book (2001) -
There's a network of underground tunnels.
-
This line is an underground tunnel, an escape route that was never found.
-
What underground tunnels are you talking about?
-
Somewhere, maybe miles away or maybe close by, people were driving their cars through underground tunnels under Boston.
Fiction book (2001) -
Movement between the compounds and the mines was generally through underground tunnels.
Academic text (2001) -
There's an old underground tunnel leading out of here.
-
There are underground tunnels beneath the frost line to store perishables.
-
An extraordinary network of underground tunnels lined with shops unites downtown Toronto, and apparently one could wander through them forever.
Academic text (1995) -
There is an old underground tunnel leading out of here.
Synonyms
615
1.0
An underground passage for cars, trains, or people to travel through
54
1.0
An underground passage for people to cross under a road or railway
12
2.7
A tunnel under a road or railway that people use to cross safely
8
6.6
A narrow unfinished space under a building floor used to reach pipes, wires, or vents
1
7.9
A narrow passage just large enough for a person to crawl through
1
3.5
A tunnel built for trains to pass through hills or under cities
How Deep
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a passage beneath the surface' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'underground' (below ground) with 'tunnel' (a passage). This straightforward modifier + noun composition follows common English and cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
The noun underground tunnel is a simple picture: underground means under the ground and a tunnel is a long passage you can walk or drive through. People dig these passages to move people, trains, pipes, or cables safely 'below the surface', so today underground tunnel means a built passage under the ground used for 'transportation' or access.