overboard
Americanadverb
idioms
adverb
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from on board a vessel into the water
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informal
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to be extremely enthusiastic
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to go to extremes
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to reject or abandon
Etymology
Origin of overboard
before 1000; Middle English over bord, Old English ofer bord. See over, board
Explanation
You can only fall overboard if you're on a boat. If you fall overboard, don't forget your life vest! The adverb overboard most often comes up when someone falls in the water. When it's used literally, it very specifically refers to the movement of a person or an object from a boat into the ocean or other body of water. Figuratively, to go overboard means to take something too far — you're going overboard on your diet if you refuse to eat anything that isn't green.
Vocabulary lists containing overboard
Inside Out & Back Again
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Bud, Not Buddy
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 26–December 2, 2022
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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.
“It’s considered a small study and I don’t want to go overboard, except to say that it’s encouraging.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
After my story ran, Davis emailed me and said he’d enjoyed the piece, which had a couple of lines about Davis’ tendency to go overboard hyping his projects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
However, his name was not removed from the overboard list and his family received a telegram that said Raymond was missing in action.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
When it comes to supplements or over-the-counter peptides, don’t go overboard.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
Indeed, the Greeks went overboard when it came to numbers.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
