over

[ oh-ver ]

/ ˈoʊ vər /

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See synonyms for: over / overed / overing / overs on Thesaurus.com

preposition

above in place or position: the roof over one's head.

above and to the other side of: to leap over a wall.

above in authority, rank, power, etc., so as to govern, control, or have jurisdiction regarding: There is no one over her in the department now.

so as to rest on or cover; on or upon: Throw a sheet over the bed.

on or upon, so as to cause an apparent change in one's mood, attitude, etc.: I can't imagine what has come over her.

on or on top of: to hit someone over the head.

here and there on or in; about: at various places over the country.

through all parts of; all through: to roam over the estate; to show someone over the house.

to and fro on or in; across; throughout: to travel all over Europe.

from one side to the other of; to the other side of; across: to go over a bridge.

on the other side of; across: lands over the sea.

reaching higher than, so as to submerge: The water is over his shoulders.

in excess of; more than: over a mile; not over five dollars.

above in degree, quantity, etc.: a big improvement over last year's turnout.

in preference to: chosen over another applicant.

throughout the length of: The message was sent over a great distance.

until after the end of: to adjourn over the holidays.

throughout the duration of: over a long period of years.

in reference to, concerning, or about: to quarrel over a matter.

while engaged in or occupied with: to fall asleep over one's work.

via; by means of: He told me over the phone. I heard it over the radio.

adverb

beyond the top or upper surface or edge of something: a roof that hangs over.

so as to cover the surface, or affect the whole surface: The furniture was covered over with dust.

through a region, area, etc.: He was known the world over.

at some distance, as in a direction indicated: They live over by the hill.

from side to side; across; to the other side: to sail over.

across an intervening space: Toss the ball over, will you?

across or beyond the edge or rim: The soup boiled over. The bathtub ran over.

from beginning to end; throughout: to read a paper over; Think it over.

from one person, party, etc., to another: Hand the money over. He made the property over to his brother.

on the other side, as of a sea, a river, or any space: over in Japan.

so as to displace from an upright position: to knock over a glass of milk.

so as to put in the reversed position: She turned the bottle over. The dog rolled over.

once more; again: Do the work over.

in repetition or succession: twenty times over.

in excess or addition: to pay the full sum and something over.

in excess of or beyond a certain amount: Five goes into seven once, with two over.

throughout or beyond a period of time: to stay over till Monday.

to one's residence, office, or the like: Why don't you come over for lunch?

so as to reach a place across an intervening space, body of water, etc.: Her ancestors came over on the Mayflower.

adjective

upper; higher up.

higher in authority, station, etc.

serving, or intended to serve, as an outer covering; outer.

remaining or additional, surplus; extra.

too great; excessive (usually used in combination): Insufficient tact and overaggressiveness are two of his problems.

ended; done; past: when the war was over.

noun

an amount in excess or addition; extra.

Military. a shot that strikes or bursts beyond the target.

Cricket.

the number of balls, usually six, delivered between successive changes of bowlers.
the part of the game played between such changes.

verb (used with object)

to go or get over; leap over.

Southern U.S. to recover from.

interjection

(used in radio communications to signify that the sender has temporarily finished transmitting and is awaiting a reply or acknowledgment.)Compare out (def. 54).

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Idioms about over

all over,

over the entire surface of; everywhere: material printed all over with a floral design.
thoroughly; entirely: She's an inspiring model all over.
finished: The war was all over and the soldiers came home.

all over with, ended; finished: It seemed miraculous that the feud was all over with.

over again, in repetition; once more: The director had the choir sing one passage over again.

over against. against (def. 13).

over and above, in addition to; besides: a profit over and above what they had anticipated.

over and over, several times; repeatedly: They played the same record over and over.

over the hill. hill (def. 11).

over there, Informal. (in the U.S. during and after World War I) in or to Europe: Many of the boys who went over there never came back.

over with, finished or done: Let's get this thing over with, so that we don't have to worry about it any more.

Origin of over

First recorded before 900; (adverb, preposition) Middle English; Old English ofer; cognate with Dutch over, German ober; (adjective) Middle English over(e), originally a variant of uver(e) (eastern dialect uver; cf. love), Old English ufera (akin to ofer ), assimilated to the adverb form; akin to Latin super, Greek hypér, Sanskrit upari. See up, hyper-

Words nearby over

ovenbird, ovenproof, oven-ready, ovenware, ovenwood, over, over a barrel, overabundance, overachieve, overachiever, overact

Other definitions for over (2 of 2)

over-

a prefixal use of over, preposition,adverb, or adjective, occurring in various senses in compounds (overboard; overcoat; overhang; overlap; overlord; overrun; overthrow), and especially employed, with the sense of “over the limit,” “to excess,” “too much,” “too,” to form verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and nouns (overact; overcapitalize; overcrowd; overfull; overmuch; oversupply; overweight), and many others, mostly self-explanatory: a hyphen, which is commonly absent from old or well-established formations, is sometimes used in new coinages or in any words whose component parts it may be desirable to set off distinctly.

Origin of over-

Middle English; Old English ofer-.See over

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use over in a sentence

They are always suspended over a precipice, dangling by a slender thread that shows every sign of snapping.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And now, similarly, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee: "Bend over and take it like a prisoner!"
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps on his own nowadays, Epstein is trying his best to webmaster over a dozen URLs.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But yes, I pictured a James Bond-type just sauntering over to her.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The debate over who really pulled off the Sony hack, then, could continue indefinitely.
Was Sony Hit With a Second Hack?|Shane Harris|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is most peculiar, and when he plays that way, the most bewitching little expression comes over his face.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
All over the world the just claims of organized labor are intermingled with the underground conspiracy of social revolution.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
After we had passed over this desert, we found several garisons to defend the caravans from the violence of the Tartars.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
After relievedly giving the pistol to the nearest soldier, he stumbled quickly over to Brion and took his hand.
Sense of Obligation|Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)
Solely over one man therein thou hast quite absolute control.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou

British Dictionary definitions for over (1 of 2)

over

/ (ˈəʊvə) /

preposition

directly above; on the top of; via the top or upper surface ofover one's head

on or to the other side ofover the river

during; through, or throughout (a period of time)

in or throughout all parts ofto travel over England

throughout the whole extent ofover the racecourse

above; in preference toI like that over everything else

by the agency of (an instrument of telecommunication)we heard it over the radio

more thanover a century ago

on the subject of; aboutan argument over nothing

while occupied indiscussing business over golf

having recovered from the effects ofshe's not over that last love affair yet

over and above added to; in addition tohe earns a large amount over and above his salary

adverb

in a state, condition, situation, or position that is or has been placed or put over somethingto climb over

(particle) so as to cause to fallknocking over a policeman

at or to a point across intervening space, water, etccome over and see us; over in America

throughout a whole areathe world over

(particle) from beginning to end, usually cursorilyto read a document over

throughout a period of timestay over for this week

(esp in signalling and radio) it is now your turn to speak, act, etc

more than is expected or usualnot over well

over again once more

over against

opposite to
contrasting with

over and over (often foll by again) repeatedly

over the odds

in addition, esp when not expected
unfair or excessive

adjective

(postpositive) finished; no longer in progressis the concert over yet?

adverb, adjective

remaining; surplus (often in the phrase left over)

noun

cricket

a series of six balls bowled by a bowler from the same end of the pitch
the play during this

Word Origin for over

Old English ofer; related to Old High German ubir, obar, Old Norse yfir, Latin super, Greek huper

British Dictionary definitions for over (2 of 2)

over-

prefix

excessive or excessively; beyond an agreed or desirable limitovercharge; overdue; oversimplify

indicating superior rankoverseer

indicating location or movement aboveoverhang

indicating movement downwardsoverthrow

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 over

over

In addition to the idioms beginning with over

over a barrel
over again
over against
over and above
over and done with
over and over
over my dead body
over one's head
over the edge
over the hill
over the hump
over the top
over with

also see:

all over

(and entries beginning with all over)bend over backwardbind overblow overboil overbowl overcarry overcheck on (over)chew the cud (over)cloud overcome overcross overcrow overcry over spilt milkdo overdraw a veil overdrop by (over)fall all overfork overfuck overget overget the advantage of (over)give overgloss overgo overhand overhand over fisthang overhash overhave a hold overhave it (all over someone)head over heelshold overhoneymoon is overin deep water (over one's head)it's all over withjump all overkeel overkeep watch (over)kick over the tracesknock for a loop (over with a feather)knock overlay overlook like death (warmed over)look overlord it overlose sleep overmake overmind over mattermull overonce over lightlypaper overparty's overpass overpick overpull overpull the wool over someone's eyesput overrake over the coalsride roughshod overroll overroof over one's headrun one's eyes overrun overscoot oversign oversleep oversmooth overstand overstart overstop off (over)take overtalk overthink overthrow overtide overtill hell freezes overturn in (over) one's graveturn overturn over a new leafwalk all overwatch overwater over the damwin overwork over.

over

Idioms about over

Origin of over

Words nearby over

Other definitions for over (2 of 2)

Origin of over-

Words related to over

How to use over in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for over (1 of 2)

Word Origin for over

British Dictionary definitions for over (2 of 2)

Other Idioms and Phrases with over