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buried beneath

buried beneath

9 4.2
Under something so it is covered and cannot be seen
  • idiom
translation icon : enterrado bajo
  • All he could see of the schoolhouse was the weather vane; the rest of it was buried beneath the weekend's snowfall.
  • find buried beneath

But all the censorship in the world cannot hide the grim truth that lies buried beneath the earth.

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Examples

  • Much of the estate lies in ruins, buried beneath decades of leaf fall and decay.

    Academic text (2004)
  • After brief attention in the media, the report was forgotten, buried beneath mounds of contradictory scientific opinion.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • When they were dead or useless, he had them buried beneath it.

  • People buried beneath fallen buildings often waited for days to be rescued.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Most of our pyramid is buried deep beneath the desert.

  • A quick inspection revealed the rubble of stone foundations buried beneath the undergrowth.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The book held the secrets of the long-lost kingdom of Iule, long buried beneath the waves by the necromancer Myrrhlock.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The Forum was buried beneath river silt, mudslide, debris and rubble from collapsing buildings.

  • Much of the estate lies in ruins, buried beneath decades of leaf fall and decay.

  • A few years earlier, IPX had found an alien ship buried beneath the surface of Mars.

Synonyms

underground
vsburied beneath
153 5.7

Hidden and done secretly to avoid being found by authorities

is physically hidden under a cover rather than being a secret movement
hidden
vsburied beneath
125 1.1

A thing that is not easily seen or found

is covered under something so it cannot be uncovered easily
under wraps
vsburied beneath
  • Informal
28 6.0

Most people do not know about it

is hidden under a physical covering rather than only kept secret from people
veiled
vsburied beneath
25 6.2

Partly hidden or not said clearly

is fully covered under a layer and less easy to reveal than partial hiding
underlying
vsburied beneath
16 4.0

Under another thing, often below the surface

is physically covered and concealed rather than just conceptually below
subterranean
vsburied beneath
6 7.4

Hidden and not openly shown

is hidden under a covering layer rather than merely located below
subsurface
vsburied beneath
6 6.3

Under the ground or below the top layer of a place

is concealed under a covering rather than only being below the surface
concealed
vsburied beneath
5 3.7

Hidden so people cannot see it

is hidden under a covering rather than only kept out of sight
cloaked
vsburied beneath
4 6.8

Hidden so people cannot see the true purpose or meaning

is concealed by a physical covering rather than hidden by disguise
covered
vsburied beneath
1 1.0

Having something on top or around it

is concealed under the cover so it is not visible or found
just beneath the surface
vsburied beneath
6.1

A feeling that is hidden but easy to notice

is hidden deeper under a layer rather than being close to the surface
belowground
vsburied beneath
4.3

Under the ground surface

is hidden under some covering not solely located under the ground
mantled
vsburied beneath
6.8

A thing that is covered by a layer like a cloak or mist

is hidden under a heavier covering rather than only wrapped by a layer

How Hidden

buried beneath
9 4.2
hidden
125 1.1
covered
1 1.0
visible
398 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

buried + beneath

The meaning 'hidden under or covered by something' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'buried' (covered/interred) with 'beneath' (under/in a lower position). This is a straightforward spatial compositional pattern that a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand, and it is cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Buried beneath gives the clear picture of something dug down or covered by other things: buried means put under earth or objects and beneath means below. So, when a fact or object is buried beneath ash, papers, or lies, it is 'hidden under' and hard to find.