go over
Britishverb
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to be received in a specified manner
the concert went over very well
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Also: go through. (preposition) to examine and revise as necessary
he went over the accounts
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Also: go through. (preposition) to clean
she went over the room before her mother came
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(preposition) to check and repair
can you go over my car please?
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Also: go through. (preposition) to rehearse
I'll go over my lines before the play
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to change (to a different practice or system)
will Britain ever go over to driving on the right?
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to change one's allegiances
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slang (preposition) to do physical violence to
they went over him with an iron bar
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Examine, review. For example, They went over the contract with great care , or I think we should go over the whole business again . This term originated in the late 1500s, then meaning “consider in sequence.”
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Gain acceptance or approval, succeed, as in I hope the play goes over . This term is sometimes elaborated to go over big or go over with a bang for a big success, and go over like a lead balloon for a dismal failure. [Early 1900s]
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Rehearse, as in Let's go over these lines one more time . [Second half of 1700s]
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.
"Once it's manageable, you just need to go over them and try and make the car as fast as possible."
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Wigan had suffered shock home losses to Castleford Tigers and Huddersfield Giants this season and Toulouse opened the scoring after just four minutes when Ulberg cut inside from the right to go over.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Stolz and Levett, who are 71 and 75, would go over and rock the baby for a few hours to give them a break.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
There are a couple of ways this would go over.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
“But she looks like she’s lost at sea. Oughtn’t we go over and tow her back to shore, so to speak? Maybe we could jolly her up a bit.”
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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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.