1 C1 neutral
On a ship: to order a crew member or passenger to go below the main deck.
"As the storm rolled in, the captain sent the off-duty sailors below and ordered all hands to secure the rigging."
separable
send below
C1 neutral separable transitive
A nautical term meaning to order a sailor or person to go below the deck of a ship.
In plain English
On a ship, to tell someone to go downstairs, below the upper deck.
What does "send below" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To direct someone to go below the main deck of a vessel.
Actually means
On a ship, to tell someone to go downstairs, below the upper deck.
Usage tip
Almost exclusively a maritime/nautical term. Rarely encountered outside of maritime literature, historical fiction set at sea, or naval contexts. Modern speakers would typically say 'send below decks' or simply 'go below'.
Words that pair with "send below"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
crew sailor mate passengers decks
How to conjugate "send below"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
send below
I/you/we/they
3rd person
sends below
he/she/it
Past simple
sent below
yesterday
Past participle
sent below
have + pp
-ing form
sending below
continuous
Hear "send below" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "send below" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.