Bellow vs. Below – What’s the Gist?
With the exception of being similarly spelled, this word pairing has very little in common.
- Bellow is a verb.
- Below functions as an adverb, preposition, noun, or adjective.
Knowing the part of speech you want will be the key to understanding which word to choose.
How to Use Bellow in a Sentence
Bellow definition: The word bellow functions primarily as an intransitive verb; it does, however, act as a transitive verb as well.
As an intransitive verb, bellow means to make a loud deep hollow sound that is distinctive of a bull, or to shout in a deep voice.
As a transitive verb, which needs a direct object, bellow means to bawl as in to cry out stridently.
For example:
- The child loudly bellowed in protestation while leaving the play area. (Past Tense Verb)
- To catch her friends’ attention, she bellowed across the room. (Past Tense Verb)
- The driver bellowed his indignation when the fellow motorist nearly failed to yield the right-of-way in the roundabout. (Past Tense Verb)
How to Use Below in a Sentence
Below definition: The word below is very versatile. As an adverb, below has layered directional nuances, meaning in or to a lower place; or on earth or in or to Hades or hell; on or to a lower floor/deck; in a lower rank or number; lower on the same/following page; or under the surface of the water.
Interestingly, note the number of prepositions used above to describe the direction of below.
For example:
- Because the contractors were installing a patio, the city was called to identify any utility lines located below the surface. (Adverb)
- Odysseus traveled below on his quest to Hades. (Adverb)
- After briefly surfacing, the beluga whale plunged to the deep below. (Adverb)
As a preposition, below has similar meanings as an adverb, such as, lower in place, rank, or value; down river from or south of; inferior to (in rank); not suitable to the rank of.
For example:
- Her nasty comment hit below the belt. (Preposition)
- Along the Ohio River, Cincinnati is below the city of Pittsburgh. (Preposition)
- The entitled child thought that cleaning his room was below him. (Preposition)
By the way, a preposition reflects some type of relationship to its object, so the definitions of below definitely reflect that navigational correlation.
Additionally, the word below functions as a noun and an adjective. See the third bullet point below for the example of an adjective. See what I did there?
Outside Examples of Bellow vs. Below
- That’s when they heard the big guy bellow into the crowd: “Is there a Tim Mitchell here?” –The Plain Dealer
- These gathering efforts are hampered by rippers at the national level who stoke rage and fear and tell friend/enemy stories. These efforts are hampered by men like Sanders and Trump who have never worked within a party or subordinated themselves to a team — men who are one trick ponies. All they do is stand on a podium and bellow. –The New York Times
- In a separate written statement, the condo board for Ke Kilohana excluding one member from Hughes Corp. said expenses to operate the building have exceeded maintenance fee revenue by $40,000 to $50,000 a month at the tower, which opened in May after two years of construction and a lottery that quickly sold out the 375 below-market units in the 425-unit tower. –Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- The Dow Jones industrial average ended the day down 786 points, or nearly 3 percent, and the bond market flashed a warning sign as the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury bond fell briefly below 1 percent for the first time ever. –The Washington Post
Phrases That Use Bellow and Below
There are several phrases that use the word bellow or below, including:
To bellow like a wounded bull: When someone cries out in a loud or offended manner.
- The angry man bellowed like a wounded bull at the cashier for messing up his order.
Bellow out: To cry out in a loud or enraged way.
- The woman bellowed out to her children to stay away from the busy road.
Below the belt: A figure of speech meaning that someone said something mean spirited and nasty.
- The spouse’s snarky comment about his partner’s over-sensitivity hit below the belt.
How to Remember These Words
The real issue is remembering how to spell the word that you want. Identifying the part of speech you need in the sentence will help.
To aid you with the correct spelling, keep this mnemonic device in mind. The term bellow starts with the word bell. Bells can be wrung excessively loud, just like a loud bellow from someone. On the other hand, below ends with the word low. When something/someone is below something else, it is lower.
For example:
- The farmer heard the clash of the bell on the bellowing bull close by and took cover.
- When the child went to the basement below, he discovered that he was lower than ground level.
Article Summary
Is bellow or below correct? Identify what it is you want to say. If you need a verb, it is likely that you want bellow. If you are looking for some type of direction, choose below.
Often when someone bellows to communicate, he is acting below social expectations.
- Bellow is an intransitive or a transitive verb.
- Below acts as an adverb, preposition, noun, or adjective.