Meaning of underlying In English

• 0 real but not immediately obvious:

  • And what might be the underlying significance of these supposedly random acts?

• 1 used to describe something on which something else is based:

  • The price of the investment fell below the value of the underlying assets.

• 2 positioned under the surface of something:

  • The currents are affected by the shape of the underlying rocks.

• 3 real but not immediately obvious:

  • The investigation focused on the underlying causes of the fire.

• 4 used to describe the shares, etc. to which something such as an option (= the right to buy or sell something in the future) relates:

  • The option was sold requiring payment against delivery of the underlying security.

• 5 used to describe the basic level or amount of something before anything else is added or taken away:

  • Underlying conditions are favourable.

  • They underestimated their underlying costs and ended up losing a lot of money.

  • Last year the company had underlying earnings of $10.6m on $34m sales.