hover
Americanverb (used without object)
-
hovers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hovered,
past participle, past
-
hovering
present participle
-
to hang fluttering or suspended in the air.
The helicopter hovered over the building.
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to keep lingering about; wait near at hand.
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to remain in an uncertain or irresolute state; waver.
to hover between life and death.
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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.
verb (used with object)
-
hovers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hovered,
past participle, past
-
hovering
present participle
-
to cause to hover.
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Computers. to place (a pointer) over an area of a screen without clicking or tapping.
noun
verb
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(intr) to remain suspended in one place
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(intr) (of certain birds, esp hawks) to remain in one place in the air by rapidly beating the wings
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(intr) to linger uncertainly in a nervous or solicitous way
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(intr) to be in a state of indecision
she was hovering between the two suitors
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(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
noun
Synonym Usage
See fly 2 .
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hoversimple
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hoverssimple
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have hoveredperfect
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has hoveredperfect
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am hoveringprogressive
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are hoveringprogressive
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is hoveringprogressive
-
have been hoveringperfect progressive
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has been hoveringperfect progressive
Past
-
hoveredsimple
-
had hoveredperfect
-
was hoveringprogressive
-
were hoveringprogressive
-
had been hoveringperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing hover
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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"Of Mice and Men"
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
A scream, said county officials, is considered operational noise, and decibel levels should hover somewhere around 50 dBa during peak hours.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The overall pace of inflation sits roughly in line with the Bank of Canada’s most recent forecast for it to hover around 3% near term before easing gradually toward its 2% target.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
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
"It can hover like a helicopter, fly forwards like an aircraft, but equally brake in midair or fly backwards," marketing chief Andrea Marchsteiner told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
But now I make Illusion Amari hover in the air just above the plant.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Major estimates that the average net worth among his California clients hovers near $250 million — a million of which they’ll likely end up spending to get another passport.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The rate for the former hovers at around 5.8% versus 6.4% for the latter.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
For Morrison, writing fiction was a form of “literary archaeology,” excavating history, and how the past hovers over the present.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Today, Figma’s market cap hovers around $9.5 billion.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
The ghost of his wife hovers over the scene, desperately whispering the word poison.”
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
But ardent supporters of Mangione flocked to the Manhattan courthouse to show their support amid heavy security as a helicopter hovered overhead.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Graduate unemployment has hovered around the 35-40% level for the last 25 years.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Gen Zers make up nearly one-fifth of the adult workforce, and bosses and recruiters say it often feels like the nervous parents who hovered over them through childhood and college are right alongside them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
The annual property tax bills hovered between $48,000 and $64,300 over that span.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
It was why she hovered so close to him, why she never strayed too far away, why she always kept him in her peripheral vision.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Rather than shoveling your food down while hovering over your laptop or phone, slow down and pay attention to your food as you eat.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
Nearly two months later, residents of Boyle Heights say the clean-up has taken a lot longer than expected, and they've grown frustrated with the pungent odour hovering over the area.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
According to the Bild daily an airport employee saw the drone hovering near the Ukrainian plane and brought it to the ground until police arrived.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
But it articulates the logic hovering around the episode: If Americans can be taught to eat correctly, perhaps they will require less care — and perhaps the government can spend less providing it.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
I pause, my fingers hovering above the keyboard, when Dad coughs and glances in my direction.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
