above

[ uh-buhv ]
See synonyms for above on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. in, at, or to a higher place.

  2. overhead, upstairs, or in the sky: My brother lives in the apartment above. A flock of birds circled above.

  1. higher in rank, authority, or power: She was told to speak to the person above.

  2. higher in quantity or number: books with 100 pages and above.

  3. before or earlier, especially in a book or other piece of writing; foregoing: the remark quoted above.: Compare below (def. 6).

  4. in or to heaven: gone to her eternal rest above.

  5. Zoology. on the upper or dorsal side.

  6. Theater. upstage.: Compare below (def. 9).

  7. higher than zero on the temperature scale: The temperature dropped to ten above this morning.

preposition
  1. in or to a higher place than; over: to fly above the clouds;the floor above ours.

  2. more in quantity or number than; in excess of: The program is open to all girls above six years of age.The weight is above a ton.

  1. superior in rank, authority, or standing to: A captain is above a lieutenant.

  2. beyond the reach of or exempted from (dishonorable thoughts or deeds), especially in the eyes of others: So scrupulously had she maintained her reputation that she was above suspicion.As professional adults, we ought to be above bad behavior.

  3. too honorable a character; too good for: He refused to participate, being above such trickery.

  4. rather than; in preference to: to favor one child above the other.

  5. beyond, especially north of: six miles above Baltimore.

  6. Theater. upstage of.

adjective
  1. said, mentioned, or written above; foregoing: the above explanation.

noun
  1. something that was said, mentioned, or written above: to refer to the above.

  2. the person or persons previously indicated: The above will all stand trial.

  1. heaven: truly a gift from above.

  2. a higher authority: an order from above.

Idioms about above

  1. above all. See entry at above all.

Origin of above

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English above(n), abufe(n), Old English abufan, onbufan, equivalent to b(e) by + ufan, cognate with Old Frisian uva, Old Saxon oban(a), Old High German obana, German oben, Old Norse ofan; “above”; akin to over); see up

usage note For above

Above as an adjective ( the above data ) or as a noun ( study the above ) referring to what has been mentioned earlier in a piece of writing has long been standard. A few critics object to these uses in general writing, believing that they are more appropriate in business or technical contexts; they occur, however, in all kinds of edited writing.

Words Nearby above

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use above in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for above

above

/ (əˈbʌv) /


preposition
  1. on top of or higher than; over: the sky above the earth

  2. greater than in quantity or degree: above average in weight

  1. superior to or prior to: to place honour above wealth

  2. too honourable or high-minded for: above petty gossiping

  3. too respected for; beyond: above suspicion; above reproach

  4. too difficult to be understood by: the talk was above me

  5. louder or higher than (other noise): I heard her call above the radio

  6. in preference to: I love you above all others

  7. north of: which town lies just above London?

  8. upstream from

  9. above all most of all; especially

  10. above and beyond in addition to

  11. above oneself presumptuous or conceited

adverb
  1. in or to a higher place: the sky above

    • in a previous place (in something written)

    • (in combination): the above-mentioned clause

  1. higher in rank or position

  2. in or concerned with heaven: seek the things that are above

noun
  1. the above something that is above or previously mentioned

adjective
  1. mentioned or appearing in a previous place (in something written)

Origin of above

1
Old English abufan, from a- on + bufan above

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with above

above

In addition to the idioms beginning with above

  • above all
  • above and beyond
  • above suspicion
  • above the law

also see:

  • all (none) of the above
  • cut above
  • head and shoulders above
  • over and above

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.