surface

/ˈsʌrfəs/

/ˈsʌfɪs/

Other forms: surfaces; surfaced; surfacing; surfacely

The surface is the outside of anything. The earth, a basketball, and even your body have a surface.

A surface is the top layer of something. The surface of the moon is rocky, with a lot of craters, while the surface of the earth has a lot of water. Sandpaper has a rough surface; a balloon has a smooth but rubbery surface. When we use the word surface, it usually means there is a lot of stuff underneath. That applies to our use of surface to mean outward mood, as in "You look happy on the surface, but I know you're angry on the inside."

Definitions of surface

1. noun

   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”

   types:

   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.

   board, gameboard

   a flat portable surface (usually rectangular) designed for board games

   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

   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

   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

   plaster, plasterwork

   a surface of hardened plaster (as on a wall or ceiling)

   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

   skin

   an outer surface (usually thin)

   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

   canvas

   a piece of canvas cloth prepared as the surface for a painting

   backgammon board

   the board on which backgammon is played

   beam

   the broad side of a ship

   broadside

   the whole side of a vessel from stem to stern

   checker board, checkerboard

   a board having 64 squares of two alternating colors

   cribbage board

   a board with pegs and regularly spaced holes for holding the pegs; used for keeping the score in a game of cribbage

   dart board, dartboard

   a circular board of wood or cork used as the target in the game of darts

   edge

   a sharp side formed by the intersection of two surfaces of an object

   face

   a vertical surface of a building or cliff

   floor, flooring

   the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

   front

   the side that is seen or that goes first

   go board

   a board used for playing go

   larboard, port

   the left side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose

   monopoly board

   a board used for playing monopoly

   nearside

   the side of a vehicle nearest the kerb

   obverse

   the side of a coin or medal bearing the principal stamp or design

   Ouija, Ouija board

   a board with the alphabet on it; used with a planchette to spell out supernatural messages

   pargeting, pargetry, pargetting

   ornamental plasterwork

   paved surface

   a level horizontal surface covered with paving material

   pegboard

   a board perforated with regularly spaced holes into which pegs can be fitted

   platform

   a raised horizontal surface

   punchboard

   a small board full of holes; each hole contains a slip of paper with symbols printed on it; a gambler pays a small sum for the privilege of pushing out a slip in the hope of obtaining one that entitles him to a prize

   back, rear

   the side that goes last or is not normally seen

   reverse, verso

   the side of a coin or medal that does not bear the principal design

   sidewall

   the side of an automobile tire

   soffit

   the underside of a part of a building (such as an arch or overhang or beam etc.)

   starboard

   the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose

   tabletop

   the top horizontal work surface of a table

   upper surface

   the side that is uppermost

   wide screen

   a projection screen that is much wider than it is high

   writing board

   work surface consisting of a wide lightweight board that can be placed across the lap and used for writing

   counter

   a flat surface in a kitchen on which food is prepared

   type of:

   artefact, artifact

   a man-made object taken as a whole
2. noun

   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”

   types:

   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

   face, side

   a surface forming part of the outside of an object

   celestial sphere, empyrean, firmament, heavens, sphere, vault of heaven, welkin

   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

   inside, interior

   the inner or enclosed surface of something

   exterior, outside

   the outer side or surface of something

   substrate, substratum

   a surface on which an organism grows or is attached

   wave front, wavefront

   (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)

   beam-ends

   (nautical) at the ends of the transverse deck beams of a vessel

   bottom, underside, undersurface

   the lower side of anything

   forepart, front, front end

   the side that is forward or prominent

   belly

   the hollow inside of something

   lee, lee side, leeward

   the side of something that is sheltered from the wind

   windward

   the side of something that is toward the wind

   back end, backside, rear

   the side of an object that is opposite its front

   top, top side, upper side, upside

   the highest or uppermost side of anything

   oil-water interface

   an interface forming the boundary between the non-miscible liquids oil and water

   type of:

   bound, boundary, bounds

   the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something
3. noun

   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”

   synonyms: Earth's surface

   types:

   floor

   the bottom surface of any lake or other body of water

   floor

   the lower inside surface of any hollow structure

   type of:

   layer

   a relatively thin sheetlike expanse or region lying over or under another
4. adjective

   on the surface
   “surface materials of the moon”

   synonyms:

   aboveground

   on or above the surface of the ground

   grade-constructed

   constructed at ground level

   opencast, opencut

   (of mines and mining) worked from the exposed surface

   antonyms:

   subsurface

   beneath the surface

   overhead

   located or originating from above

   belowground, underground

   under the level of the ground

   submarine, undersea

   beneath the surface of the sea

   submerged, submersed, underwater

   beneath the surface of the water

   subterranean, subterraneous

   being or operating under the surface of the earth
5. verb

   come to the surface
   synonyms: come up, rise, rise up

   types:

   emerge

   come up to the surface of or rise

   resurface

   reappear on the surface

   bubble up, intumesce

   move upwards in bubbles, as from the effect of heating; also used metaphorically

   swell, well

   come up, as of a liquid

   type of:

   ascend, go up

   travel up, "We ascended the mountain"
6. verb

   put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface
   synonyms: coat

   types:

   rubber, rubberise, rubberize

   coat or impregnate with rubber

   anodise, anodize

   coat a metal with an oxide coat

   gelatinize

   coat with gelatin

   skim

   coat (a liquid) with a layer

   stucco

   coat with stucco

   egg

   coat with beaten egg

   encrust, incrust

   cover or coat with a crust

   dredge

   cover before cooking

   soot

   coat with soot

   refinish

   give a new surface

   brush on

   apply with a brush

   patinate, patinise, patinize

   coat with a patina

   resurface

   cover with a new surface

   crumb

   coat with bread crumbs

   copper

   coat with a layer of copper

   finish

   provide with a finish

   bonderise, bonderize

   coat with a substance that will prevent corrosion

   blacktop

   coat with blacktop

   foliate

   coat or back with metal foil

   galvanise, galvanize

   cover with zinc

   pave

   cover with a material such as stone or concrete to make suitable for vehicle traffic

   seal, varnish

   cover with a hard, lustrous finish

   glaze

   coat with a glaze

   tar

   coat with tar

   enrobe

   provide with a coating

   daub, plaster

   coat with plaster

   render

   coat with plastic or cement

   skimcoat

   coat with a mixture of gypsum and spackle

   paint

   apply paint to; coat with paint

   cement

   cover or coat with cement

   grit

   cover with a grit

   plate

   coat with a layer of metal

   metal

   cover with metal

   macadamise, macadamize, tarmac

   surface with macadam

   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

   tin

   prepare (a metal) for soldering or brazing by applying a thin layer of solder to the surface

   flour

   cover with flour

   dress

   put a finish on

   broom

   finish with a broom

   cobble, cobblestone

   pave with cobblestones

   hard surface

   cover with asphalt or a similar surface

   causeway

   pave a road with cobblestones or pebbles

   asphalt

   cover with tar or asphalt

   shellac, shellack

   cover with shellac

   render-set

   cover with two coats of plaster

   parget

   apply ornamental plaster to

   roughcast

   apply roughcast to

   mud

   plaster with mud

   mortar

   plaster with mortar

   grain

   paint (a surface) to make it look like stone or wood

   repaint

   paint again

   airbrush

   paint with an airbrush

   ground, prime, undercoat

   cover with a primer; apply a primer to

   tin

   plate with tin

   silver

   coat with a layer of silver or a silver amalgam

   nickel

   plate with nickel

   electroplate

   coat with metal by electrolysis

   chrome, chromium-plate

   plate with chromium

   gold plate, gold-plate, goldplate

   plate with gold

   silver-plate, silverplate

   plate with silver

   type of:

   cover

   provide with a covering or cause to be covered
7. noun

   a superficial aspect as opposed to the real nature of something
   “it was not what it appeared to be on the surface”

   type of:

   aspect, facet

   a distinct feature or element in a problem
8. verb

   appear or become visible; make a showing
   “I hope the list key is going to surface again”

   synonyms: come on, come out, show up, turn up

   type of:

   appear

   come into sight or view
9. noun

   information that has become public
   “the facts had been brought to the surface”

   synonyms: open

   type of:

   general knowledge, public knowledge

   knowledge that is available to anyone
10. noun

    a device that provides reactive force when in motion relative to the surrounding air; can lift or control a plane in flight
    synonyms: aerofoil, airfoil, control surface

    types:

    aileron

    an airfoil that controls lateral motion

    elevator

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

    flap, flaps

    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

    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

    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

    horizontal tail

    the horizontal stabilizer and elevator in the tail assembly of an aircraft

    landing flap

    a flap on the underside of the wing that is lowered to slow the plane for landing

    tail fin, tailfin, vertical fin, vertical stabiliser, vertical stabilizer

    a stabilizer that is part of the vertical tail structure of an airplane

    type of:

    device

    an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose