overall

American  

[oh-ver-awl, oh-ver-awl] / ˈoʊ vərˈɔl, ˈoʊ vərˌɔl /

adverb

1. from one extreme limit of a thing to the other.

   the overall length of the bridge.

2. covering or including everything.

   an overall impression;

   to view something overall.

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noun

• overalls
  plural

1. (used with a plural verb) overalls,

   1. loose, sturdy trousers, usually with a bib or biblike piece to which shoulder straps are attached, originally worn over other trousers to protect them, as by factory workers or farmers.

   2. long waterproof leggings.

2. British. a smock or loose-fitting housedress.

overall British  

adjective

1. from one end to the other

2. including or covering everything

   the overall cost

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adverb

1. in general; on the whole

noun

1. a protective work garment usually worn over ordinary clothes

2. (plural) hard-wearing work trousers with a bib and shoulder straps or jacket attached

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• overalls
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of overall

First recorded before 1000; Middle English overal (adverb), Old English ofer eall; see over ( def. ), all ( def. )

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Explanation

The overall meaning of the word overall is that it covers all the parts of something. For example, the individual parts don't matter as much as the overall value. The word overall is the sum of its parts. Take the word over, meaning "above," and add it to the word all, meaning "everything" and you get overall, meaning "above everything". But remember, it's an adjective as in the overall impression of the music, the overall effect of the new tax code, the overall direction (as opposed to individual little changes.) Remember that overalls, the clothes you wore as a kid, went "over all" your other clothes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

overall overalls

As well as overall debt repayments of around £300 a month, he and his wife pay £760 on their mortgage.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

As it happens, the stocks in the S&P 400 are, overall, cheaper in relation to earnings than the S&P 500, trading overall at 14 times forecast earnings instead of 18 times.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

Pharmaceutical output also added to the positive overall results, though the construction sector dragged, it added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

As people age, their overall energy requirements frequently decrease.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026

They also adapted “new” tactics for wilderness warfare to support their overall goal of taking over the homelands of the Indigenous peoples.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

You’d need the equivalent of those parade attendants in overalls who run along behind the horses with shovels.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Last year, Netflix flew the 77-year-old from his home in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, to Brisbane, Australia, where he once again donned a green wig and overalls for the TV competition Wonka's The Golden Ticket.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

In Kanazawa, workers dressed in full-body overalls haul large blocks of ice across the factory floor, before starting on the delicate work of carving perfect spheres, cubes and rectangular blocks with cut corners.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

Footage from inside showed rescue workers in orange overalls and white helmets picking their way through a mass of twisted steel, dangling cables and chunks of ceiling.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

He wore overalls and heavy working boots that laced up the front.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

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Related Words

• comprehensive
• global
• long-term

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