above

American  

[uh-buhv] / əˈbʌv /

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.

3. higher in rank, authority, or power.

   She was told to speak to the person above.

4. higher in quantity or number.

   books with 100 pages and above.

5. before or earlier, especially in a book or other piece of writing; foregoing.

   the remark quoted above.

6. in or to heaven.

   gone to her eternal rest above.

7. Zoology. on the upper or dorsal side.

8. Theater. upstage.

9. 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.

3. superior in rank, authority, or standing to.

   A captain is above a lieutenant.

4. 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.

5. too honorable a character; too good for.

   He refused to participate, being above such trickery.

6. rather than; in preference to.

   to favor one child above the other.

7. beyond, especially north of.

   six miles above Baltimore.

8. 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.

3. heaven.

   truly a gift from above.

4. a higher authority.

   an order from above.

idioms

1. above all. above all.

above British  

/ 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

3. superior to or prior to

   to place honour above wealth

4. too honourable or high-minded for

   above petty gossiping

5. too respected for; beyond

   above suspicion

   above reproach

6. too difficult to be understood by

   the talk was above me

7. louder or higher than (other noise)

   I heard her call above the radio

8. in preference to

   I love you above all others

9. north of

   which town lies just above London?

10. upstream from

11. most of all; especially

12. in addition to

13. presumptuous or conceited

---

adverb

1. in or to a higher place

   the sky above

2. 1. in a previous place (in something written)

   2. ( in combination )

      the above-mentioned clause

3. higher in rank or position

4. in or concerned with heaven

   seek the things that are above

noun

1. something that is above or previously mentioned

adjective

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

above More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing above

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

---

Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of above

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 ); up

Example Sentences

Plus new figures for overall inflation released today put it at 3.8% - marking the 12th month in a row it is above the Bank of England’s 2% target.

From BBC

“We don’t expect to see this massive influx of home buyers, especially while mortgage rates are above 6%,” said Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com.

From The Wall Street Journal

The post was accompanied by a nearly eight-minute video of aerial footage that showed a helicopter hovering just above the deck of a large tanker at sea.

From Barron's

The index gauges U.S. economic activity, with readings of more than zero indicating growth above historical averages, and negative readings indicating below-average growth.

From Barron's

The index gauges U.S. economic activity, with readings of more than zero indicating growth above historical averages, and negative readings indicating below-average growth.

From Barron's

Related Words

• raised