allover

[ awl-oh-ver ]

/ ˈɔlˌoʊ vər /

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See synonyms for: allovers on Thesaurus.com

adjective

extending or repeated over the entire surface, as a decorative pattern.

noun

a fabric with an allover pattern.

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IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

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Origin of allover

First recorded in 1570–80; all + over

Words nearby allover

allotted, allottee, allotype, all-out, all outdoors, big as, allover, all over but the shouting, all over one, all-overs, all over the place, all over with

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use allover in a sentence

He took the gently mottled “allover” canvases he had been painting, cut them into simple shapes and arranged the pieces in symmetrical patterns.
In the galleries: Humble materials yield extraordinary art|Mark Jenkins|June 4, 2021|Washington Post
As before, they’re painted on linen in allover patterns and mounted on aluminum panels.
In the galleries: Works of art emerge via waking up with a word in mind|Mark Jenkins|May 21, 2021|Washington Post
Most often, he applies pigment thickly, typically in spiraling allover patterns, and then overlays simple motifs in what appear to be two distinct colors.
In the galleries: Exploring the tension between physical and digital art|Mark Jenkins|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
It lies in a low, moist plain, and has few remarkable buildings: you can walk allover the little town in about half an hour.
Two Years in the French West Indies|Lafcadio Hearn

The gondolas multiplied and spotted it allover; every gondola and gondolier looking, at a distance, precisely like every other.
Italian Hours|Henry James
Engaged in the earlier years of the music business was Woodworth, Allover & Co.
Sixty Years of California Song|Margaret Blake-Alverson
Woodworth, Allover & Co. dealt mostly in imported French pianos and harmoniums.
Sixty Years of California Song|Margaret Blake-Alverson
Stripes in this sample group either border the edge of the cloth or make an allover pattern.
Chincha Plain-weave cloths|Lila M. O'Neale

British Dictionary definitions for allover

all-over

adjective

covering the entire surface

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with allover

all over

Everywhere. The phrase may be used alone, as in I've looked all over for that book, or The very thought of poison ivy makes me itch all over. In addition it can be used as a preposition, meaning “throughout,” as in The news spread all over town. [Early 1600s] Also see far and wide.

In all respects, as in He is his Aunt Mary all over. Charles Lamb had this usage in a letter (1799) about a poem: “The last lines ... are Burns all over.” [Early 1700s]

Also, all over again. Again from the beginning. For example, They're going to play the piece all over, or Do you mean you're starting all over again? [Mid-1500s]

Also, all over with. Quite finished, completed, as in By the time I arrived the game was all over, or Now that she passed the test, her problems are all over with. This phrase uses over in the sense of “finished,” a usage dating from the 1300s. Also see all over but the shouting; have it (all over), def. 4.