above

[uh-buhv]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR above ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

in, at, or to a higher place.

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

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

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

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

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

Zoology. on the upper or dorsal side.

Theater. upstage.Compare below(def 9).

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

preposition

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

more in quantity or number than; in excess of: all girls above 12 years of age; The weight is above a ton.

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

not subject or liable to; not capable of (some undesirable action, thought, etc.): above suspicion; to be above bad behavior.

of too fine a character for: He is above such trickery.

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

beyond, especially north of: six miles above Baltimore.

Theater. upstage of.

adjective

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

noun

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

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

heaven: truly a gift from above.

a higher authority: an order from above.

Idioms

above all, most important of all; principally: charity above all.

Origin of above

before 900; Middle English above(n) (Cf. aboon), Old English abufan, onbufan (a-¹, on + bufan above (cognate with Dutch boven), equivalent to b(e) by¹ + 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; cf. about for formation

Usage note

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for above

raised, exceeding, high, superior, over, overhead, aloft, atop, beyond, upon, before, surpassing

Examples from the Web for above

Contemporary Examples of above

Are you excited, nervous, afraid, all of the above for the new Star Wars films?
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire
William O’Connor
January 6, 2015
I fall back into a dream and then suddenly there is a tapping on the window just above my bed.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
He thinks if you add up the above the line you'll see that 50 gets you the slightly bigger movie with more action and 45 won't.
Inside Sony’s ‘Pineapple Express 2 Drama’: Leaked Emails Reveal Fight Over Stoner Comedy Sequel
William Boot
December 21, 2014
Citizens were watching in shock from above on the subway station.
Anger at The Cop Killer - And The Police
M.L. Nestel
December 21, 2014
The Sony hack has revealed, above all, just how easy it is for this information to get out.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack
James Poulos
December 19, 2014

Historical Examples of above

Had Mrs. Bines been above talking to low people, a catastrophe might have been averted.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Above, below, the rose of snow, Twined with her blushing foe we spread.
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
Since I wrote the above, I ventured to send a letter by Shorey to my mother.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
I said above, that I never can be, that I never ought to be, Mrs. Solmes.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
So there is full proof, that she came not from above all at once an angel!
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for above

above

preposition

on top of or higher than; overthe sky above the earth

greater than in quantity or degreeabove average in weight

superior to or prior toto place honour above wealth

too honourable or high-minded forabove petty gossiping

too respected for; beyondabove suspicion; above reproach

too difficult to be understood bythe talk was above me

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

in preference toI love you above all others

north ofwhich town lies just above London?

upstream from

above all most of all; especially

above and beyond in addition to

above oneself presumptuous or conceited

adverb

in or to a higher placethe sky above

in a previous place (in something written)
(in combination)the above-mentioned clause

higher in rank or position

in or concerned with heavenseek the things that are above

noun

the above something that is above or previously mentioned

adjective

mentioned or appearing in a previous place (in something written)

Word Origin for above

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

Word Origin and History for above

adv.

Old English abufan, earlier onbufan, from on (see on) + bufan "over," compound of be "by" (see by) + ufan "over/high," from Proto-Germanic *ufan-, *uban- (cf. Old Saxon, Old High German oban, German oben), from PIE root *upo (see up (adv.)). Meaning "in addition" first corded 1590s.

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