hover

American  

[huhv-er, hov-] / ˈhʌv ər, ˈhɒv- /

verb (used without object)

hovers, present (3rd person singular) hovered, past participle, past hovering present participle

1. to hang fluttering or suspended in the air.

   The helicopter hovered over the building.

2. to keep lingering about; wait near at hand.

3. to remain in an uncertain or irresolute state; waver.

   to hover between life and death.

   Synonyms:

   fluctuate, pause, falter

4. Computers. to place a pointer over an area of a screen without clicking or tapping, as with a mouse or stylus.

   Hover over the icon to reveal more information.

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verb (used with object)

hovers, present (3rd person singular) hovered, past participle, past hovering present participle

1. to cause to hover.

2. Computers. to place (a pointer) over an area of a screen without clicking or tapping.

noun

1. the act or state of hovering.

hover British  

/ ˈhɒvə /

verb

1. (intr) to remain suspended in one place

2. (intr) (of certain birds, esp hawks) to remain in one place in the air by rapidly beating the wings

3. (intr) to linger uncertainly in a nervous or solicitous way

4. (intr) to be in a state of indecision

   she was hovering between the two suitors

5. (tr) computing to hold (the mouse pointer) over a defined area on a web page without clicking, in order to cause a menu, information box, etc to appear

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noun

1. the act of hovering

Synonym Usage

See fly ² .

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hoverer
  noun
• hoveringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• hovering
  present
• hovered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• hover
  simple
• hovers
  simple
• have hovered
  perfect
• has hovered
  perfect
• am hovering
  progressive
• are hovering
  progressive
• is hovering
  progressive
• have been hovering
  perfect progressive
• has been hovering
  perfect progressive

Past

• hovered
  simple
• had hovered
  perfect
• was hovering
  progressive
• were hovering
  progressive
• had been hovering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will hover
  simple
• will have hovered
  perfect
• will be hovering
  progressive
• will have been hovering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of hover

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English hoveren, frequentative of hoven “to hover,” of obscure origin

Explanation

A hover craft flies low over the ground or water — it hovers. Hover can also mean waver. Think of someone that can’t decide exactly where to land. To help remember the meaning of hover, think of it as containing the preposition over: things that hover hang over. A temperature can hover around forty degrees, a grade in a class can hover around a B.

Example Sentences

Some forecasts suggest temperatures could hover around 30C for at least seven consecutive days in places, perhaps rising back into the mid-30s at times although there is some uncertainty.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026

His fighters don’t hover — they climb on each other’s backs.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

Saudi Arabia's National Center for Meteorology predicted daytime temperatures this week would hover between 42 and 47 degrees Celsius in Mecca during the hajj, which officially begins on Monday.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

KK Mart’s IPO comes as major global equity markets hover near record highs despite continued uncertainty about the conflict in the Middle East tensions spurring volatility.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

Gulls screech and hover overhead as I jog closer to see if he’s one of the people gathered at the far end.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

Related Words

• drift
• flicker
• flutter
• fly
• linger
• poise
• waver