overall

American  

[oh-ver-awl, oh-ver-awl] / ˈoʊ vərˈɔl, ˈoʊ vərˌɔl /

adverb

1. from one extreme limit of a thing to the other.

   the overall length of the bridge.

2. covering or including everything.

   an overall impression;

   to view something overall.

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noun

• overalls
  plural

1. (used with a plural verb) overalls,

   1. loose, sturdy trousers, usually with a bib or biblike piece to which shoulder straps are attached, originally worn over other trousers to protect them, as by factory workers or farmers.

   2. long waterproof leggings.

2. British. a smock or loose-fitting housedress.

overall British  

adjective

1. from one end to the other

2. including or covering everything

   the overall cost

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adverb

1. in general; on the whole

noun

1. a protective work garment usually worn over ordinary clothes

2. (plural) hard-wearing work trousers with a bib and shoulder straps or jacket attached

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• overalls
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of overall

First recorded before 1000; Middle English overal (adverb), Old English ofer eall; see over ( def. ), all ( def. )

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Explanation

The overall meaning of the word overall is that it covers all the parts of something. For example, the individual parts don't matter as much as the overall value. The word overall is the sum of its parts. Take the word over, meaning "above," and add it to the word all, meaning "everything" and you get overall, meaning "above everything". But remember, it's an adjective as in the overall impression of the music, the overall effect of the new tax code, the overall direction (as opposed to individual little changes.) Remember that overalls, the clothes you wore as a kid, went "over all" your other clothes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

overall overalls

Fundraising from institutional investors rose to 66% of overall inflows in the past 12 months, Lipschultz said in a July presentation to Wall Street analysts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

“After two consecutive hikes in July and August, we see it pausing to assess the overall transmission effects of rate hikes onto the economy,” Morgan Stanley economist Kathleen Oh said in a recent note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Daniel Sturridge has two fewer substitute goals then Welbeck but has scored a slightly higher percentage of his overall Premier League tally as a sub - 22%.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Nvidia can defend its position by making its systems more valuable overall, including through performance, software support and reliability.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

They also adapted “new” tactics for wilderness warfare to support their overall goal of taking over the homelands of the Indigenous peoples.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Girls and women dress in ankle-length skirts or overalls, wearing their hair loosely covered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Inside a waterfront factory, workers in hairnets and blue overalls are sorting freshly caught cod and haddock, and machines process the fish into fillets, mostly bound for Europe.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Bex is starting to look for overalls for them to wear and jokes that they might need shower caps for their hair.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Footage from inside showed rescue workers in orange overalls and white helmets picking their way through a mass of twisted steel, dangling cables and chunks of ceiling.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Before daylight every morning he would leave the house in his overalls, to be gone all day.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

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Related Words

• comprehensive
• global
• long-term

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