overhead

American  

[oh-ver-hed, oh-ver-hed] / ˈoʊ vərˈhɛd, ˈoʊ vərˌhɛd /

adverb

1. over one's head; heads; aloft; up in the air or sky, especially near the zenith.

   There was a cloud overhead.

2. so as to be completely submerged or deeply involved.

   to plunge overhead in water; to sink overhead in debt.

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adjective

1. situated, operating, or passing above, aloft, or over the head: heads.

   an overhead sprinkler system.

2. of or relating to the general cost of running a business.

   overhead expenses; an overhead charge.

noun

1. the general, fixed cost of running a business, as rent, lighting, and heating expenses, which cannot be charged or attributed to a specific product or part of the work operation.

2. Accounting. that part of manufacturing costs for which cost per unit produced is not readily assignable.

3. (in a hoistway) the distance between the last floor level served and the beam supporting the hoisting sheaves or machinery.

4. (in racket sports) a stroke in which the ball or shuttlecock is hit with a downward motion from above the head; heads; smash.

5. an overhead compartment, shelf, etc..

   Pillows are in the overhead above each passenger's seat.

6. Also called overhead shot.  Movies, Television. a shot in which the camera is positioned above the actors, especially directly overhead.

7. a ceiling light in a room.

   Turn off the overheads when you leave.

8. Also called overhead projector.  a projector capable of projecting images above and behind the person operating it, thus allowing a lecturer or speaker to remain facing the audience while using it.

9. Also called overhead projection.  a picture or image projected in this manner.

   a lecture enhanced with overheads.

overhead British  

adjective

1. situated or operating above head height or some other reference level

2. (prenominal) inclusive

   the overhead price included meals

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adverb

1. over or above head height, esp in the sky

noun

1. 1. a stroke in racket games played from above head height

   2. ( as modifier )

      an overhead smash

2. nautical the interior lining above one's head below decks in a vessel

3. short for overhead door

4. (modifier) of, concerned with, or resulting from overheads

   overhead costs

overhead Cultural  

1. All costs of running a business other than wages paid to production workers or payments for raw material to be used in production. Overhead includes the cost of renting or leasing a store in which business is transacted, the cost of heating a factory, and similar expenses.

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Other Word Forms

• nonoverhead noun

Etymology

Origin of overhead

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; over-, head

Example Sentences

For more than a century, people had come to swim and camp under the firs that towered hundreds of feet overhead.

From Literature

Planes continually rumble overhead in Walter Thompson-Hernández’s “If I Go Will They Miss Me,” shot on location at Nickerson Gardens in Watts under the flight path to LAX.

From Los Angeles Times

“No boat can get close; the glimourie pushes them away, so gently that they never notice. In the same way planes can’t fly overhead, but they never know it. It’s uncharted and unchartable.”

From Literature

The window blind is pulled shut, and the bare bulb overhead is painted a dimming blue, giving an unearthly tinge to all beneath it.

From Literature

When flying it is overhead, someone on the ground might not be able to hear it.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aerial
• atop
• skyward
• upward