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Synonyms

overboard

American  
[oh-ver-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈoʊ vərˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

adverb

  1. over the side of a ship or boat, especially into or in the water.

    to fall overboard.

idioms

  1. go overboard, to go to extremes, especially in regard to approval or disapproval of a person or thing.

    I think the critics went overboard in panning that new show.
overboard British  
/ ˈəʊvəˌbɔːd /

adverb

  1. from on board a vessel into the water

  2. informal

    1. to be extremely enthusiastic

    2. to go to extremes

  3. to reject or abandon

"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
overboard More Idioms  

  1. see go overboard.

Etymology

Origin of overboard

before 1000; Middle English over bord, Old English ofer bord. See over, board

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The best example I can give is in the week before games against the very top teams I went overboard trying to exude confidence in my team and my tactics.

From BBC

A major search operation is under way after a man was reported overboard from a P&O passenger ferry travelling between Larne and Cairnryan.

From BBC

Market reaction, though, has been mixed with some investors worried spending has gone overboard.

From Barron's

The first one to see me shrieked and clutched at his colleague, almost pushing him overboard.

From Literature

He didn't think his players "went overboard" on a mid-Ashes series holiday in Noosa where they were pictured drinking, calling the Queensland resort "a place where people go and retire"

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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