hover

American  

[huhv-er, hov-] / ˈhʌv ər, ˈhɒv- /

verb (used without object)

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.

---

verb (used with object)

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

---

noun

1. the act of hovering

Related Words

See fly ² .

Other Word Forms

• hoverer noun
• hoveringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of hover

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

Example Sentences

New orders are a sign of future production, and they have been hovering near the lowest levels in 15 years.

From MarketWatch

"But it doesn't help our chances of success if Ben Stokes keeps encouraging our batsmen to attack, attack with one finger hovering over the self-destruct button," Boycott wrote in his Daily Telegraph column.

From Barron's

Suspicious drones have disrupted flights and hovered around military bases and critical infrastructure across Europe, and rogue ships dragging anchors have damaged undersea cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

From The Wall Street Journal

Temperatures hovered in the low 40s — brisk, but manageable — and a steady wind kept the giant balloons flying lower than usual.

From Salon

—Sterling hovered close to a four-week high against the dollar and euro as investors continue to express relief that Wednesday’s U.K. budget delivered no major surprises.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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